


Paradise In The Open

by OwenToDawn



Series: Your Weary Days Seem Far Away [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Genderqueer Link, M/M, Most Zelda Games Will Be Mentioned, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Sensory Disorders, Slow Burn, Trauma Recovery, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:08:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 81,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26668726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwenToDawn/pseuds/OwenToDawn
Summary: Sidon has a bucket list of things to do before he's king. Link is more than happy to help him complete it, and along the way he completes a list of his own
Relationships: Link/Prince Sidon
Series: Your Weary Days Seem Far Away [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021758
Comments: 154
Kudos: 476





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> She's arrived. She being this fic. I'm at around chapter 5? I'm hoping to post one chapter a week. I know exactly where this fic is going so please bear with me! My goal is to have it finished by the end of October. We shall see. There will be smut and tags will be updated accordingly.
> 
> The sensory disorder in question is vague, and is mostly based off my various sensory disorders and speech issues, tho Link opts for non-verbal communication more often than I do. Link is almost always perceiving himself as a man but occasionally has times when he feels as if he's not
> 
> It's worth noting that Link in this fic does not have the memory from the Ash Swamp area yet 
> 
> Title from Paradise by millic feat Fanxy Child. I absolutely adore Penomeco's verse and the title is taken from that

“A…bucket list?”

“Yes!”

Link stares at Sidon’s eager expression and tries to think of what he could possibly be talking about.

"I heard about it from another Hylian. It’s a list of things a person wants to do before they die, but that sounds rather depressing considering we survived Calamity Ganon, so I like to think of it more as a list of things we want to do but never had a chance,” Sidon says.

This…is not what Link had thought Sidon meant when he sent a letter saying he urgently needed to see him. He isn’t sure how to articulate that, especially since the last thing he wants to do is make Sidon think his messages are unwelcome, it’s just he’d been so panicked he’d teleported the moment he got the letter and been greeted with a perfectly fine Sidon at the shrine entrance. It’s...not rude, exactly.

But it certainly could’ve waited the few days it would’ve taken Link by horse to arrive.

“What sort of things?” Link asks, because they’re the only words coming to mind.

“Oh! Like…riding a horse! Eating exotic dishes in an unfamiliar land! Climbing a mountain! Finding where a shooting star lands!” Sidon continues to rattle off ideas as Link walks towards an area a little more private and away from the curious Zora that keep glancing at them.

He settles on the railing of one of the many twisting paths, rocking on it a little just to give the anxious energy he’s been carrying since he got Sidon’s letter somewhere to go. It’s hard to focus on what Sidon’s saying when all the adrenaline is still coursing through him.

“So, things like that! Wouldn’t it be fun?” Sidon asks.

Link swallows, meeting Sidon’s gaze for a moment before looking away again. “I…I’ve done those things.”

“Oh…”

He closes his eyes and rocks a little bit more, foot tapping against the bottom rail. The disappointment is clear in Sidon’s voice, and not for the first time Link feels as though he’s drastically different from those around him. His experiences are too vast. The things other people meet with excitement, he meets with…a shrug. Most the time, people think he’s being conceited, but that’s not it. He just doesn’t know how to get excited about things he’s done more times than he can count.

“Well…I have not done those things,” Sidon says. “Though, I’m not sure there is a horse big enough for me to ride.”

The image makes Link snort, then laugh, throwing his head back at the absurdity of Sidon trying to mount Link’s usual horse Epona. It helps ease the tension that’s been building since he arrived. By the time he stops, wiping his eyes from the tears that had started to gather at the corners, Sidon is beaming at him, looking quite pleased with himself.

“My father thinks it’s a good idea,” Sidon says, voice quieting as his expression grows somber. “Of course, he’s worried something could happen to me too, but he thinks it’d be good for me as a leader, and as his son. When I take over, I won’t be able to leave on a whim after all…”

“It’s safer these days,” Link says. “Just don’t go looking for any Lynels.”

“That’s not on the list, and I have no interest in adding it,” Sidon says. “So, do you think you would come with me, even if you’ve already done those things? Perhaps you could think of your own list and I can help you too!”

Link looks away as he thinks. It’s hard to think when he looks at Sidon’s face sometimes, all open and eager and honest. He tries to think of a single thing that he hasn’t done that other people would want to do because it would be fun and exciting. His skin aches sometimes. Old injuries, long since healed and looked at by the best healers and medics everyone could offer, and they all tell him there’s nothing wrong. It’s in his head. Phantom pains from everything he’s done and experienced, pressed into his skin and muscles. It’s not that he regrets doing them, or would trade them for the pain to go away.

He’s…happy with what he’s done. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy fighting for his life day in and day out since the moment he’d reawakened. The last few months in Hateno with only the occasional venture out at Zelda’s request since they sealed Calamity Ganon away have been nice, but boring, his body too restless from spending so much of his new life in motion. From the moment he’d pulled himself out of that cave, he’d been going at a breakneck pace until his goals were met. In that way, he supposes he’s lived more life than others did in a thousand lifetimes.

But he also knows he’s…missing something. Experiences that others find mundane. But how does he articulate that the things he’s interested in more than anything are so ephemeral? What does it feel like to curl up on a parent’s lap while they read a story to you? What about a town festival with your closest friends? Some of those experiences he’ll never have, but others…he could, if he knew how to ask in the first place.

“Link?”

“I can help you,” Link says, looking back at him. “Wherever you want to start.”

Sidon smiles, wide and big. “I’ll begin making arrangements right away!”

-.-

**_Sidon’s Bucket List (With help of Link!)_**

****

  * _Swim with sharks_
  * _See a dragon_
  * _Eat a specialty dish at every major town in Hyrule_
  * _Meet the Great Deku Tree_
  * _Visit the Temple of Time_
  * _Visit the Warbler’s Nest_
  * _See a meteor shower_
  * _Meet a Great Fairy_
  * _Enjoy the hot springs of Death Mountain_
  * _Forge a weapon at an Ancient Tech lab_
  * _See the Lord of The Mountain_
  * _Visit Kara Kara Bazaar_



-.-

“This is…”

“It’s a lot, I know, but I think it’s doable!”

Link takes a picture of the list to store in his Sheikah Slate and then pulls up his map, folding his legs beneath him so he can get comfortable where he sits at the end of the dock of the reservoir. Sidon treads water in front of him, arms resting on the dock next to Link’s legs.

“I’m just not sure how we’re going to do all of it,” Link says.

“Is it not possible?” Sidon asks.

Link shakes his head. “It is. I just don’t know how you’d fare in Death Mountain. You can’t wear the usual armor made for Hylians to survive the temperatures, and you could take elixirs but if we run out you have no way of getting to safety.”

“Ah…”

“I’ll figure it out. I just need time,” Link says.

He settles in, putting down stamps for places he knows they can go (Lurelin’s beaches are nice and have sharks, and Lake Hylia is the perfect place to see Farosh), and markers for where he can go bother the locals on how to help a Zora navigate the area. They’ll visit Robbie for the weapon forging. Link thinks they’ll get along just fine. He has a few ideas of where they could catch a good meteor shower and marks them all down. They’ll go to whichever ones are easiest depending on where their path takes them.

By the time he’s finished mapping out a rough idea of their path, Sidon is sleeping, head pillowed in his arms as he rests them on the dock, and there’s a cramp in his own neck. The Sheikah Slate says an hour has passed. He glances back down at the list, frowning at the one in the middle.

“Why…”

Sidon startles awake at the sound of his voice, glancing at the list and then up at Link. “Is something wrong?”

“I…um…” Link shakes his head, words getting caught and tangling together in his mouth. He points to the fifth item on the list.

“Oh, that,” Sidon says. He smiles, closed mouth and...almost gentle. “I don’t want to say just yet. It’s a secret.”

Link squints, entirely confused on what business Sidon could possibly have at the nearly destroyed Temple of Time. As far as he knew, the Zora didn’t even worship Hylia. But, if Sidon doesn’t want to say, he’s not all that bothered. There’s nothing in the area, really, that would pose a major threat to Sidon anyways, so the biggest issue will be getting him onto the Great Plateau in the first place.

“It’s not bad, I promise, I just…” Sidon trails off.

Link continues to stare, confusion growing as he sees Sidon’s face go flush with a light red blush.

“Anyways!” Sidon pushes away from the dock, voice growing louder. “What sort of things should I have prepared?”

“I made a list,” Link says. “Most of it is for me to do. I need to…” He needs to gather information, figure out a way up to the Great Plateau because there’s no way Sidon will be climbing, and also figure out what the specialty dishes in some of the towns even _were._ It’s a whole list of things he needs to do. He doesn’t want Sidon to feel guilty. He just isn’t sure how to say that without making it sound even worse. “I need to do some traveling. I’ll be back soon.”

He gets to his feet, sliding the Sheikah Slate back into its proper place and then heading back towards the shrine.

-.-

His first order of business is finding a horse suitable for Sidon’s massive height. He has an idea of where to find one too. Before he’d headed for Gerudo Town, he’d hunted down a rumor about a horse that was supposedly the descendent of one of the original steeds for one of Ganondorf’s many forms throughout time. When he’d found it originally, peering at it from his perch on a high hill northeast of the Taobab Grassland, he’d taken one look at it, assessed how exhausted he was, and left to go make camp instead.

Now, he finds himself braced in a tall tree, waiting for the beast to head towards him with his herd as he normally does when the sun starts to set. He shifts his weight, careful not to make any noise. Apparently, it doesn’t do any good because the giant horse comes to a halt and turns his head up, nostrils flaring. Knowing the wind will blow his scent right towards them, Link throws caution to the wind and hurls himself out of the tree, opening his paraglider to slide the last bit of distance through the air before landing haphazardly on the beast’s back.

It takes all his leg strength to get his paraglider slapped to his back as the horse begins to buck, and from there, it’s a matter of tangling his hands in his thick orange mane and holding on for dear life. The horse screams, back legs kicking out only for it to rear back a moment later. Link grinds his teeth together and moves with it, digging his knees into its sides as best he can with his legs splayed as wide as they are. For a brief moment, Link thinks he has control of the situation, especially once the horse simply stops moving.

Neither of them move outside the way they both heave for breath, their sides pumping as they try and gather their own energy. That should have been his first clue that the beast was just bracing itself for what was to come next, but perhaps it’s been too long since he last tamed a horse because when it suddenly rears and then plunges forward into a gallop, he’s nearly thrown off. With a yell of his own, he clings hard to his mane, pulling back with a harsh grip. All that succeeds in doing is sending the horse into yet another series of harsh bucks before galloping forward again.

He resolves to just hang on until the damned thing runs itself down, but then a far more chilling scream echoes through the valley the horse has run them into. The horse skids to a stop and pivots the way a well-trained war horse would, turning its body perpendicular to the creature that had shouted it’s all too familiar war cry at them for trespassing. A Lynel. A silver Lynel.

“Okay,” Link says, pulling his bow from his back. “We’re working together now yes?”

The giant horse stomps its feet on the ground and Link clutches it a little tighter with his knees as he draws one of his fire arrows. He clicks his tongue and the horse whirls, lunging into a gallop as it begins to flank the Lynel just as it rears and heads towards them.

Link lets the arrow fly, relief rushing through him when it hits the Lynel’s head and sets its mane aflame, stunning the monster long enough for them to finish looping around behind it. He clicks his tongue again and digs his heels into the horse’s sides. The horse lunges forward at a gallop and Link pulls his Gerudo scimitar free, slicing it along the Lynel’s thick hide as they storm past and loop back away again. Something explodes behind them and the air crackles with electricity. He digs his knees into the horse’s sides and urges him to circle back around again, drawing his bow once more. As if reading his mind, the horse gallops even further away than he was trying, never letting the Lynel get quite close enough to charge them again as Link takes careful aim with his bow.

A nudge of his knee and the horse pivots like before, the motion well practiced as he spins on his hooves and plunges forward in a thundering gallop. The Lynel screams its answering challenge and draws its own broadsword, a massive crusher similar to the ones Link finds on Death Mountain near the mines sometimes. Certainly not something he wants to get hit with, nor his mount. It’s too late to turn away now though. He aims, shifting the slightest bit as they race closer, and then the bomb arrow he’s drawn this time flies free. The horse pivots again at a near perfect ninety-degree angle and races away as the arrow hits the Lynel’s neck and explodes, the heat of the fire singeing his hair and the horse’s tail.

They circle back once more like before, but Link can feel the horse’s torso muscles shift this time as they approach. At the last minute, he twists a hand in the horse’s mane and holds on as the horse crashes into the Lynel with a scream of his own, hooves battering against the back of its head and back as it rears up.

Link draws the scimitar again and holds on tight with his legs before slicing down into the Lynel’s back, cutting deep and hard this time with the added time and leverage the horse has given him. Blood sprays over them both and Link drives the scimitar in even harder, wedging it into thick muscle and bone before using it to haul himself off the horse and fully onto the Lynel. The horse spins away and Link lets him go, twisting his blood slick hand in the Lynel’s mane and yanking hard before driving his heel into the scimitar’s handle, driving it straight through the meat of its torso. The beast lets out a wretched cry and Link tumbles from its back as it rears, watching in a mixture of horror and awe as it rears with the weapon still spearing it before it collapses to the ground.

It certainly is the fastest he’s ever killed one of the things.

He picks himself up, wincing at the way his thighs ache, and approaches it. He yanks his scimitar free first, then scavenges the bow and shield as well as its collection of shock arrows. The crusher he leaves, too exhausted to even think of lifting the damn thing up. It’s hard to even be proud of the battle when he’s going to have to catch the giant horse again. He straightens and turns around and walks straight into the horse’s hard muscled chest. For a moment, he freezes. The horse huffs, warm air ruffling his hair followed by the tickling sensation of horse lips along his scalp as it nibbles his hair.

“Hey, you can’t eat me, even if we’re friends now,” he says, backing up so he can look the horse in the eyes.

The horse stares down at him with far too much intelligence and amusement before pointedly turning and offering his back. Link braces himself against his side and then hauls himself up, half expecting and resigned to being tossed off the moment he sits down, but nothing happens. Still braced for the worst, he twists his fingers in the horse’s mane and tugs the direction he wants him to turn, relief flowing through him when the horse obeys without a fight.

“I guess you’ll need a name then,” he says.

The horse tosses his head and Link smiles.

-.-

He settles on naming the horse Madwebiisaan, a Sheikah word to express that one can hear the rain. Fitting, he thinks, for the way his hooves sound when he gallops, like a heavy and torrential downpour with the strength to back it up. He speaks to Madwebiisaan as they travel through the wilds back north. He’s always found it easier to speak to horses rather than other humans or even the Zora and Rito and Gorons, but Madwebiisaan seems to understand everything he says. It makes him wonder if there is perhaps something more to the horse than his incredible size, but for now, he’ll let him keep his secrets.

“A Zora is going to ride you,” Link says as they settle together by the fire as the sun sets. He throws some fox meat in the pan with the remaining butter he had left and watches it sizzle and pop. “He’s very nice.”

A huff of air, then blunt teeth nip at his shoulder. Link smacks Madwebiisaan’s snout.

“He’s a warrior too, he just doesn’t ride horses normally. He’s used to swimming. He deserves your respect.”

Another huff, but then Madwebiisaan lays down beside him so he thinks that’s acceptance. He lays down to sleep more than other horses and Link wonders if it’s because it’s harder to stand when he’s so large.

“He wants to see the world,” Link continues. He scrounges through his pack and finds a handful of berries and throws those in the pan too. “I don’t understand his excitement, but I think that’s because I’ve already done a lot of things on the list.” He looks up at the sky, something like sadness tickling at the edges of his thoughts. “Maybe I don’t know how to appreciate things.”

The statement doesn’t feel true, not really. He appreciates the animals he kills for sustenance, and the weapons he forages off his enemies, and the kindness of villagers in the towns he visits. But his conversation with Sidon makes him think that perhaps he hasn’t appreciated his own experiences. That just makes him wonder what it is about what he’s done that he’s supposed to appreciate. He’s scaled plenty of mountains, but there’s always a purpose behind everything he does. Scale the mountain to reach the shrine. Carry an orb through hoards of enemies to…reach the shrine. Traverse the Lost Woods to reach, surprise, another shrine. Gobble up power and strength like a starving man so he can push his body further and longer and make up for his failures and the thousands of lives lost because of those failures.

But Sidon just wants to do those things for the experience. He’s lucky, Link supposes He wouldn’t call Sidon spoiled by any stretch of the imagination, he just thinks it must be nice to do things because he wants to. Everything he’s done since he woke up has been to get stronger so he could at least try to make up for everything he’s failed to do the first time. Now, with Calamity Ganon gone, there’s nothing to work towards. He still chases down shrines anyways, takes pictures and notes and returns them to Zelda for her own research, and continues to get strong. For what…he doesn’t know. It’s just the only thing he knows how to do. There hasn’t really been time to do anything else.

He looks back down at his food and pulls the pan off the fire. He grabs a handful of the mixture with one hand and shoves it in his mouth as fast as possible to avoid burning his hand or his mouth. Devouring food so he can’t taste it is a habit too. Perhaps that’s why he knows nothing of the local delicacies Sidon wishes to sample. What was the point? Food was purely for sustenance or to boost his heat or cold resistance so he could traverse dangerous areas a little easier. He scoops the last of the berries out of the pan and shovels those into his mouth too before licking the juices off his fingers and wiping his hand in the grass, but he freezes when he glances behind and sees Madwebiisaan staring at him with what he assumes is the horse equivalent of disappointment.

“What do you know?” he asks around his mouthful.

He digs into his pouch and tosses a carrot towards the horse, rolling his eyes when Madwebiisaan gobbles it down just as fast as he had.

-.-

Link leaves Madwebiisaan and his own mount, Epona, at Tarrey Town and finishes planning out how exactly to accomplish everything on Sidon’s list. Some of the things he’s simply not sure if they’ll be able to do. The Lord of the Mountain is fickle after all, so all he can do is make sure they go by Satori Mountain and hope that the creature shows up. As far as getting through the Tabantha Tundra, that he’ll need something a little extra for.

That requires a trip to Gerudo Town. He keeps his clothes for Gerudo Town in a special dresser in his house in Hateno Village. It’s not that he’s ashamed of them, it’s more…the opposite of that. There’s no memories that he’s been able to find that give him clues to how he felt about wearing such clothing in the past, or if he even did, but he knows that there’s a great deal of comfort that comes when he puts those clothes on and becomes someone else when the mood strikes.

He’s never interrogated it too thoroughly. All he knows is there’s something about being referred to as a vai on certain days that feels right, and on those days he dons those clothes and heads for Gerudo Town. Today is not like those days though. Today he has to don that identity for another purpose. He pulls them on, grabs his pack of gems, and transports himself to the Daqo Chisay Shrine and heads for the front gate, passing through with a nod to each of the guards. To the right is Isha’s shop, Starlight Memories, and when he enters, she’s at the back workbench working on a piece.

He raps his knuckles on the front desk, offering a wave when she turns to look at him. Unwilling to hear the voice he usually uses when here, he holds him his hands in warning before he begins to sign.

_"I need a Ruby and Sapphire Circlet, but I would like to help you make it.”_

She frowns. “One more time for me, love. My signing is not what it used to be.”

He repeats the signs slower, relieved when she nods.

“You have found a voe then? You wish to impress him?”

Link flushes beneath his veil and shakes his head hard, waving his hands frantically as Isha throws her head back and laughs. _“A dear friend. Precious.”_

“Okay, I understand. Who is this friend?” she asks as she steps over to him.

' _Prince Sidon of the Zora. He wishes to visit the Kara Kara Bazaar and Rito Village, but he cannot regulate his body temperature as well.”_

 _"_ Hm, I have not made a circlet for a Zora before, nor for someone so large. If we make several bracelets, we could accomplish what you need,” she says.

He dumps his collection of gems on the counter, grinning when Isha stares at the pile with the look of an artist who has found true inspiration. _“Will these do?”_

“Do you have any openings for precious friends, love? I would like to apply,” she says, though Link isn’t sure if he’s supposed to hear it from how quietly she says it. “Come to the back with me. I will show you the basics.”

Link catches on fast with her directions, but he only sets the stones as she works the chain metal links together with her hammer and other tools. They get into a good rhythm. It’s almost hypnotizing, the sound of metal scraping across stone, the clink of gems sliding into place and then fixed where they are. He finds himself lulled by the sounds and actions. Peace is hard to find outside battle but this…feels a bit like that.

“You do know that we are aware you are not a vai, yes?” Isha asks.

Link’s fingers slip, slicing his thumb on the sharp edge of one of the inlays that haven’t been filed down yet. Panic chases the pain even as Isha grabs his wrist and takes him over to the sink to hold his thumb under cool water as she begins to dig around for a bandage.

“I did not mean to startle you so,” she says. “But I wondered if perhaps that was why you were not speaking. If you wish to speak in your normal voice, you may. Exceptions are made for the hero of Gerudo Town, yes?”

“I…it’s not like that,” Link says, eyes squeezing shut as he ignores the discomfort of hearing his own voice when dressed like this. “Sometimes I…I feel like a vai, just not today. So I…”

'Ah, I see,” she says. She turns off the water and dries his thumb before placing a bandage over it. “We have people like that here. They come and go as they need. For some Hylians, this is the only place they can be accepted as the vai they are, so we welcome them too.”

“I wouldn’t have come feeling like this if it weren’t important,” he says. “I don’t want to violate your sacred practices.”

“If we wanted to stop you, we would have,” Isha says. “Now, sit back down and let us finish our work. We are almost done.”

Link sits back down at the worktable, letting out a deep breath. Knowing he has nothing to hide helps, even if he’s not all that comfortable now. “Thank you.”

Isha waves a hand. “Think nothing of it.”

-.-

Link returns to Zora Domain with extensive notes on his slate, a promise from Isha to keep the bracelets safe until they need them, and requests put in at several stables to make sure they would be prepared to move his horses for him over the next few weeks. Link finishes his explanation of the whole plan to Sidon and sets the Sheikah Slate next to him on the ground where he sits at the dam. In front of him, Sidon treads water while staring up at him, mouth open in something like shock though why Link has no idea.

“You…oh Link, however will I repay you for all this work?” Sidon asks.

Link shakes his head. “It’s…we’re friends right? And friends…friends help each other.”

Sidon smiles, wide and beautiful, the kind of smile that makes his heart beat a little faster for reasons he has yet to figure out. “I will make it up to you one day, I promise! Shall we leave now?”

“I can go whenever you’re ready,” Link says. It’s not like he has anywhere pressing to be after all. Zelda insists he checks in every few weeks, but when she has all her memories and he has few, it gets uncomfortable when they spend time with each other. It gets easier every time but…he’s not in any rush to go back to the castle.

“I will grab a few things and my weapons,” Sidon says. “Shall we meet at the Torin Wetlands and head to Tarrey Town from there?”

Link frowns. “There’s…sometimes there are Guardians there, but I don’t know if they’re still as aggressive now that Calamity Ganon is gone. I don’t mind walking through there, but if I tell you to get in the water, you have to listen to me. I can fight Guardians on my own, but not if I’m worried about you getting hit.”

If Sidon were anyone else, he’d expect something about how he’s a more than capable warrior, but Sidon just nods. It’s nice to just have someone trust his judgment. So often he finds people questioning his abilities or authority or experience because of his height or his appearance, but Sidon never has.

“Okay,” Link says. “I’ll meet you there.”

-.-

He’s sitting on the shore at the southern edge of the Torin Wetlands when his Sheikah Slate makes an odd chiming noise. Frowning, he pulls it off his hip and looks down. A small box is flashing across the screen and he pokes it, watching as the keyboard he uses to type messages when he’s having difficulty speaking out loud pops up underneath a small message.

**_Hello Link! Respond to me if you can see this!_ **

After a moment of hesitation, he types in a response and hits the send button in the lower righthand corner, watching as the message comes up on his screen.

**_I can see it_ **

Barely a second passes before a new box pops up with a new message.

**_Fantastic! It’s Zelda. I figured out how to make our Sheikah Slates work as communication devices! I promise not to bug you, I know you like having time to yourself, but this is always an option now!_ **

He smiles, happy to see that Zelda has found something to work towards. Rebuilding a kingdom is hard and arduous, but working on some lower stakes Sheikah technology has seemed to give her a way to unwind. Sometimes, he’ll stop by a tower and slip his Sheikah Slate into its groove and some new function will be installed on it through a small drop of magic, the result of Zelda’s late-night hobby for when she can’t sleep. He doesn’t always even know what she’s sent him until he hits a button on accident and a whole new menu comes up. This one will be convenient though.

They may not have figured out how to be friends yet, but something like this could help. With distance, and the ability to formulate his responses instead of trying to come up with something to say on the fly, perhaps there’s hope for their friendship to flourish. Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking. He doesn’t get a chance to contemplate which it could be, because the next moment, he hears a splash and then-

“Link! I’m here!”

He looks up to see Sidon treading water in the deep part of the river. “Oh good. Would you prefer to swim?”

“It’s fine. I should probably get used to walking, even if you do have a horse for me,” Sidon says as he approaches the shore. There’s a spear strapped to his back and a sword at his hip connected to a weapons belt that seems to be equipped with a few small packs as well. He travels light, but Link isn’t worried about a shortage of food with the path he has them on until they leave Rito Village.

The head together along the shoreline. He’d expected Sidon to be chatty, but he keeps glancing past Link towards the wetlands where the ruins of dozens of Guardians lay, buried in the grass and dead leaves. Far in the distance, Link can make out the glow of a living one as it weaves between the trees. It’s too far away to notice them though, as long as they don’t start yelling or trying to attract its attention on purpose.

"Have you ever seen them before?” Link asks.

Sidon’s gaze flicks down to him and then back up across the wetlands. “Guardians?”

“Yeah.”

“No, they never really made it up Zora River…”

"It’s okay,” Link says. “Most of them are dead and won’t be a threat. I’ve been here enough times that I’ve cleared out the ones that were still active but buried and not able to move. The ones in the distance won’t approach unless we draw attention to ourselves.”

“You mean they would just…turn on?” Sidon asks, his concern obvious in his voice as he squints at one of the ruined Guardians they walk past.

“Yeah,” Link says. “They’d make this weird clanging noise and then light up.”

“That must make it hard, having to be on edge all the time,” Sidon says.

Link shakes his head. “It’s only certain areas that are this crowded, and a lot of the times I’d have to come here to scavenge for parts to make new weapons and things, so I got used to it. The buried ones can’t move, so it was easy to run and hide behind another Guardian until I was ready to fight it.”

“You truly amaze me,” Sidon says, looking down at Link. “I consider myself a strong warrior, but I do not have the experience you and some of the other Zora veterans do. Battle…it seems battle for you is instinct in a way it isn’t for me.”

“You handled Vah Ruta well,” Link says.

Sidon shakes his head and then looks ahead again. “That was different. You did most of the work, I just kept us moving.”

"Did you…do you think it’s because of your father?”

“Maybe,” Sidon says. “After Mipha died, he became very worried about keeping me alive, and not just so we could have an heir, but because losing a child cause him immeasurable pain. Losing me…I don’t think he’d be able to stand it.”

“But he let you do this?” Link asks.

“Because of you,” Sidon says, smiling down at him. “On my own, I don’t think he would trust me. He thinks I’m far too naïve and I don’t exactly think he’s wrong, but how do I learn without experiencing the world? This trip…this list I wish to complete…if I do not take the risks, I will not learn and grow. The Zora have been far too reclusive the last century even if it was for our own survival. If I cannot take the risk to see the world and learn to live in it, how can I ask them to do the same?”

Link looks down at the ground, thinking over the words. It is certainly true. To be a good King, Sidon would need to see the rest of the world and experience new things, but to do that required risking his life. Better to risk it with someone who’s lived enough lives to fill a thousand lifetimes.

“But I don’t want to think of this as all duty,” Sidon continues. “Completing this list will make me a better person I’m sure. But I also want to spend time with you, Link, and see the world as you have. I…there are few people I can call friend when I’m in my position.”

The words remind him of Zelda’s diary. He wonders if it’s the problem with being royalty – you’re held so far above everyone else it’s only through great effort that you can ever get to know the people you’re supposed to protect. He’s struggled to make friends too, but that’s mostly because people don’t seem to understand that talking for long periods of time is difficult for him. They find his wandering nature undependable, even after he’s completed tasks for them whenever they ask. There’s a lack of understanding, and a lack of even _wanting_ to understand.

“You are my friend too,” Link says after a long moment. “I…” He shakes his head and looks up at Sidon, offering a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I don’t know what else to say.”

“That’s okay, I understand,” Sidon says.

Link wishes he could express how such a simple phrase fills him with a deep sense of contentment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Here is our second chapter. Chapters 2 and 3 are the shortest but things start to pick up from there so the chapters start getting longer. I just finished chapter 5 and I'm halfway through chapter 6. I think there's going to be around 10-12 chapters but don't hold me to that
> 
> Thank you so much for the support of the first chapter! I hope this continues to entertain you. Sorry if I butcher any of the Zelda lore I'm doing my best and making some of it up as I go haha

They arrive at the natural land bridge leading to Tarrey Town in the early evening as the sun is starting to approach the horizon near the sea. Sidon keeps walking towards the edge to peer down at the lake and every time he does, Link has to stop himself from reaching out to drag him back to the middle. He knows Sidon is safe. He also knows Sidon isn’t stupid, but he’s so used to traveling alone that he can’t help but be on edge about…everything. Perhaps there’s some long-forgotten memory that fills him with such instinctive fear. He feels better once they’re in the town proper, relaxing as he takes in the sight of the sellers hawking their wares at the bounty hunters that have started to show up ever since Zelda promised a reward for rooting out Moblin and Bokoblin nests. There are still faces he recognizes though.

“Link! You brought the prince!”

Sidon steps past Link to approach Kapson who’s standing outside the inn at the small entrance. “I see you’re settling in well. And quite busy!”

"Yes, and I’m afraid we don’t exactly have room,” Kapson says, looking back at Link where he stands a little behind Sidon. “I apologize. The Queen put forth a bounty to help clear out the old Akkala Tower and it has brought more hunters than I expected. You’ll have to forgive me for breaking my promise, Link.”

“A promise?” Sidon asks.

Link waves both his hands, feeling a little frantic. “It’s fine. I made arrangements with Rhondson and Hudson for whenever we came so Prince Sidon can sleep in their living room for the night.”

“But what about you?” Sidon asks.

“I was going to sleep out on their porch,” Link says. “Really, don’t worry about it.” He glances across the square, relieved to see Monari’s baking booth is still open. “I’ll be right back. I um…” Words fail him and he turns and walks away before he makes it worse, heading instead for Monari’s booth.

She lights up when she sees him, a bright smile on her face that she hadn’t given the person in front of him. “Welcome back! You were so smart recommending I start selling these cakes. Did you know, I received a letter from Queen Zelda-“

Link lets the words wash over him, smiling and nodding when appropriate and then, when she gives him an opportunity to speak, he opts to sign instead. Monari is one of two people in Tarrey Town he knows that he can sign fluently. Her older sister had been deaf and the way she signs is closer to the way he remembers from a century ago. Most other places, the dialect has changed. It’s taken him awhile to catch up. _“Two carrot cakes, please.”_

“Right away, one moment,” she says, reaching under the table for a bag before moving to the carrot cake display. “That big Zora you walked in with. Is that the Prince I heard Kapson say?”

Link nods, reaching out to hold the small boxes she hands to him as she slices the cake and puts the pieces in them. “I…”

“Oh!” Monari takes the boxes from him and sets them on the table. “I’m sorry, go ahead.”

" _I’m taking him around Hyrule to see places he hasn’t seen. He wanted to try dishes in each of the towns we visit that he can’t get anywhere else so that’s why I wanted to get the cakes,”_ he sighs.

“And you thought of me? For a prince?”

Link grins. _“What was that about Queen Zelda asking you to visit?”_

 _"_ Oh hush,” she says, but she’s smiling and her cheeks flush with color.

It makes his chest feel warm to see that he can make her flustered in such a nice way. She hands him the bag of boxed up cakes. He hands her more rupees than she charges in response, dashing away before she can try to refuse him and waving back at her when she calls his name. Either she’ll keep it or give it to someone more deserving. He doesn’t really mind either way. He weaves back towards the inn, but Sidon isn’t there. Hs height doesn’t make it hard to find him though, and when Link turns, he sees him standing at the small shrine by the fountain near the town square. He steps up and knocks the bag into Sidon’s leg to get his attention.

"Oh, you’re back!” Sidon takes the bag when Link holds it out to him, peering inside to see the boxes. “What’s this?”

 _“Monari’s carrot cake. Best cake to get anywhere. A Tarrey Town delicacy,”_ Link signs once Sidon has taken the bag from him.

Sidon smiles. “Fantastic! Where shall we eat?”

Link glances around and finds Hudson and Rhondson’s house, heading towards it and then leading Sidon past it so they can sit at one of the benches that overlooks the lake. Or rather, he can. The bench is too small for Sidon, but Sidon just sits down on the ground in front of him and pulls the boxes out. Link digs through his pack for some of the silverware he tries to keep with him the rare times he bothers to use them and offers one of the spoons to Sidon. It’s a little small for his size, but he manages to carve out a piece of cake with it and slips it into his mouth, looking out over the lake as he chews. He doesn’t…want Sidon to see how he eats. It’s a part of this journey he hadn’t planned for and now that he’s thinking about it, he’s painfully aware he’s just putting off the inevitable.

Every Hylian who’s shared a meal with him seems appalled by his table manners, the way he’d gulp down soups and tear meat and bread apart into finger sized bites, and so he just stopped doing it. It’s easier to just eat when he’s alone. It’s not worth explaining that silverware against his teeth makes his jaw itch and ruins the taste of some foods. He doesn’t have enough memory to know if this is a particular quirk he’s always had or if it’s new since his resurrection. He could ask Zelda but…they aren’t there yet. The idea of talking to her about such an odd thing makes him feel queasy.

“This is really good,” Sidon says. “I’ve never had cake with nuts in it, I will need her to send me more of these. We need trade with Tarrey Town!”

“For cakes?” Link asks.

Sidon looks back at him. “Yes!”

Link laughs, delighting in Sidon’s enthusiasm. They finish their cakes in silence as the sun continues to set and the small streetlamps wink to life with a hiss of magic. He puts their boxes back in the bag and the silverware in his pack before tossing the trash in the nearby bin and turning back to Sidon as he stands up.

_“Want me to introduce you to Monari? She made the cakes.”_

“Oh please do!”

Link takes them back over to Monari’s booth and introduces them as she starts to pack up her things. As the two begin to talk about prices and trade, Link moves around to the back of her booth to start helping her pack things, happy for the chance to blend into the background. He’s been around enough to know where things go and starts hauling her few boxes and the locked metal container she keeps money in back to her home. Moggs is sitting on the porch smoking a pipe, and he hits the ground next to him with his cane.

“Right there is fine, we’ll take them inside,” he says.

He sets them down and then jogs back towards the booth, taking the folded up tablecloth Monari hands him as well as one final box. He’s almost back to her house when a man steps in front of him. The movement is so sudden and silent, Link almost drops the items to draw his sword and it takes everything in him just to stop and keep holding the items instead.

“You’re Link, right?” the man asks. He’s clearly one of the hunters. His boots are well-worn, his clothing dark and plain, with a cloak that partially obscures the weapons that line his belt. There’s a few scars on his face, marring what would otherwise be a full brown beard.

“I uh…yes,” Link says.

“What are you doing hauling junk for an old lady?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s my…” He blinks, trying to clear his head from the alarms that are ringing in it from the way he went from entirely at peace to being…not threatened but he’s not sure how else to describe how the man makes him feel. “Friend.”

“No wonder the Queen had to hire us to take care of the mess you left behind,” the man says with a roll of his eyes. “The Hero of Hyrule is spending his time hauling boxes for the elderly.”

“I…” Link knows this is a confrontation, he just doesn’t really see _why_. Shouldn’t the man be happy he’s employed? What does it matter if he helps an old friend dismantle her shop for the evening? But then…other people _are_ risking their lives completing tasks that Link knows he’s more than qualified to do, tasks that he enjoys doing even. Instead of doing those, he’s here with Sidon, buying him carrot cake and helping Monari take her things back home, and the guilt that hits him after such a realization makes his stomach twist and cramp. “I’m sorry.”

“I find it hard to believe someone like you saved the Queen,” the man continues.

“Okay,” Link says, stepping back and then moving to walk around him.

“Hey-“

The man’s hand wraps around his upper arm, but before Link can do something he’ll regret, Sidon is there stepping between them and dislodging the man’s hand by just walking straight into him.

“Link! There you are. I don’t know where to find our lodgings for the night, can you help me?” Sidon asks. His smile is wide but there’s something dangerous in his eyes. It’s not a look Link has seen since they were getting ready to do battle against the corrupted Vah Ruta, and it seems out of place here.

“Yeah,” Link says. “Uhm…come on.”

He leads Sidon back to Monari and Mogg’s house, dropping the rest of the supplies off at Mogg’s feet and then leading Sidon back around towards Rhondson’s house. When he knocks, it’s Hudson who answers.

“Rhondson’s just clearing down her shop,” he says. “But the living room is all set to go. Nice to meet you, Prince.”

“Sidon is just fine,” Sidon says, ducking down to enter the home. His head almost reaches the ceiling, but Link is just relieved he fits. “Thank you for letting me stay in your home. You built the place, didn’t you?”

“Yup! Thanks to Link bringing us all the supplies. All the wood and stone was collected by him, and we never would have been up and running so fast without him,” Hudson says.

“Are you okay here?” Link asks, fidgeting from foot to foot.

Sidon nods. “Yes, thank you.”

Link offers a nod to them both and heads back out the front door, circling around the house to the side before climbing up to the upstairs porch and then all but collapsing down on his back. The hilt of his sword digs into his shoulder, and the bottom of his shield into his lower back. He can’t be bothered to move though. He’s too relieved to finally be alone. He knows he should say thank you to Sidon for helping him get away from the hunter, but he knows Sidon won’t mind if his thankful words are delayed.

The man’s words bother him though. When he’d agreed to help Sidon with his list, he hadn’t really considered that he could’ve been doing something more productive with his time. Wasn’t that the point of him, and all those that came before him? They were weapons to be wielded by the princess’s will to protect all of Hyrule, over and over throughout thousands of years. He should be fighting, clearing out enemies so that people could move back to the towns they’d inhabited decades ago. That’s what he’s good at. He isn’t a…tour guide. He can barely handle talking to people. And he can’t even eat right.

He sits up and pulls his cloak off, laying it out on the wood floor beside him before pulling off his shield and sword and setting those next to the cloak. Next come his packs, loosened from his belt and placed under the shield for safe keeping, and then he’s able to curl up comfortably on his side using his pack full of crushed herbs as a pillow.

Sleep evades him until the early dawn hours. Even when he sleeps, he dreams he’s a wolf running through the town desperately trying to make people understand him even as they recoil from him. A metaphor or a memory, in the end he supposes it doesn’t matter.

-.-

The first order of business in the morning is to introduce Sidon and Madwebiisaan. Which goes…

“He’s so nice!”

Link watches as Madwebiisaan snorts and sniffs and play bites at every inch of Sidon’s hands and arms as he circles Sidon like a massive, over-sized dog just on the other side of the land bridge out of Tarrey Town. It’s a relief to see him take so easily to Sidon. Link had hoped he would, and it seems his lecture to the horse had worked.

“I can’t believe you found a horse that I can ride,” Sidon says. “But…I don’t know how to ride.”

“It’s okay,” Link says. “Madwebiisaan is smarter than most horses, all you have to do is hold the reins and let him do the work.”

It takes a few tries to get Sidon on Madwebiisaan’s back, but once he’s settled, Link mounts Epona and clicks his tongue to get her to start heading down the path so they can head for Robbie’s tech lab. Madwebiisaan comes level with them and Link slows their pace to something a little faster than a walk, keeping a close eye on Sidon as he does so. He bounces a little more than he should, frowning in concentration as he shifts and tries to settle his own weight, but Link’s just grateful Madwebiisaan doesn’t seem all that interested in testing him with his own tricks.

“Where did you even find him?” Sidon asks. “His coloring is different from what I’ve seen on other horses.”

“I actually almost caught him before I left for Hyrule Castle,” Link says. “But he looked like too much work to tame, so I let him be until we talked. That was when I went and found him again. There’s a rumor that he’s descended from one of Ganon’s mounts from thousands of years ago, but I don’t know how true that is. He certainly _is_ different from most horses though.”

“He seems quite nice,” Sidon says, reaching down to stroke his hand along Madwebiisaan’s thick neck. “I can’t imagine he would be descended from something so…well…evil.”

“He was not nice when I first found him,” Link says, eyes narrowing when Madwebiisaan’s face turns towards him, looking somewhat mischievous. “But we came to an understanding.”

“Oh?” Sidon asks.

“He was trying to buck me off and went charging into a canyon. We ran right into a Silver Maned Lynel,” Link says. “We had to work together to get out of there, and after, he was as mellow as can be. But he’s…” Link shakes his head, uncomfortable thoughts, thoughts he doesn’t like to entertain, rising to the forefront of his mind. “I don’t know. It’s like he’s a trained war horse, but he’s living in the wild and there’s no records of him being owned that I could find. It’s odd. That’s all.”

“Perhaps he is a descendent then,” Sidon says. “Oh! Or maybe he’s an immortal horse.”

“Wouldn’t one of the original Ganon’s horses want to kill me?” Link asks, heart racing faster.

“Maybe he didn’t want to be Ganon’s horse,” Sidon says.

Madwebiisaan tosses his head, tail flicking up high enough to smack Link in the back. It feels like affection though, like he’s offended at the idea that he would want to harm either of them. Link swallows, throat feeling tight.

“I have dreams sometimes.”

He blurts the words out without thinking, wishing he could take them back the moment they’re free. Sidon looks down at him, a curious look on his face.

“Dreams about what?”

“Past lives. I think. I don’t know. Maybe they’re just dreams. I don’t…I don’t want to talk about it,” Link says, looking away and keeping his gaze firmly on his own hands. “Sorry for bringing it up.”

“It’s okay,” Sidon says. “But if you ever do want to talk about it, I’m willing to listen. I imagine it’s hard and confusing sometimes to readjust to a world that seems to have left you behind, especially when you don’t have your own memories to rely on.” For a moment, neither of them speak, but then Sidon continues. “I heard what that man said about you last night.”

“It’s not important,” Link says, looking back up at Sidon. “This is…we’re doing something for you. You don’t have to worry about what I should be doing, I promise. I’ll make it up to Zelda and everyone when we’re done so people don’t have to keep doing the work I’m meant to do, I just really want to be with you and help you so I’m doing that first. I-“

Sidon laughs, reaching out and squeezing Link’s shoulder. “Easy, Link, I think that’s the most I’ve heard you talk in one go in some time. I wanted to tell you that what that man said was foolish. You saved the world, and Queen Zelda. It’s not your job to root out every evil creature and dispose of it.”

“Isn’t it?” Link asks. He slows Epona to a halt and Madwebiisaan follows the motion. “Sidon, that’s all I’ve been meant to do. That’s all I am made for.”

Sidon frowns. “That’s not-“

“It is,” Link says, voice firm. “From the moment I was born, from the moment it was known that I held part of the Triforce’s power, it’s what I have worked towards. I remember that much. Zelda is the same. We have our roles. It’s what we are meant to do.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Sidon says. “I think you and Queen Zelda are far more than your roles. You’re people too. You aren’t just legends.”

Link opens his mouth, wanting to protest, but his throat feels to thick and tight with an emotion he doesn’t know how to categorize and name, so he settles for shaking his head instead. “I can’t talk about this.”

“That’s okay,” Sidon says. “I’m sorry for upsetting you, I just didn’t want you to think I thought poorly of you. I’m grateful that you’re helping me complete my bucket list and that you’ve put in all this effort to do so. I do not think it is a waste, and I know you don’t think it’s a waste either, even if you do feel guilty about it.”

It’s shocking to him how on the nose Sidon’s assessment is. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel right not fighting something.”

“I’m not asking you to,” Sidon says. He looks down at Madwebiisaan. “Now how to I make him keep walking? I fear I have slowed us down with my heavy discussion topics.”

“Oh, just uh, tap your heels against his sides,” Link says.

Sidon does so and Madwebiisaan starts walking again. Link counts it as a win that he doesn’t go off galloping instead just to spite them both.

They break for lunch around noon in the forests of Akkala beneath the trees. It’s nothing fancy, just dried meat rations, and it reminds Link that he should probably broach the topic of his eating habits with Sidon sooner rather than later, but after their earlier discussion he doesn’t have the energy. They head back out, heading up the hill towards the lab. They’ve nearly reached it when Link hears it.

_Clang_

Link reacts without thinking, hurling himself from Epona’s back and smacking Madwebiisaan’s flank with the flat of his sword to send him galloping away. He pivots on his heel towards the direction the sound came from, raising his shield up just in time to deflect the laser and send it careening off into a tree instead. His shield cracks, the bottom sliding off. He tosses it to the side and grabs the spare Guardian shield he keeps at his hip as he faces the half-buried Guardian and its swirling blue eye. A twist of his hand and the shield springs to life flowing with a pure blue and this time, he’s ready. He hears the laser and digs his heels in, thrusting forward with his arm and sending the laser right back at the Guardian before dropping the shield and sprinting towards it as the head spins, crackling with electricity.

The Master Sword glows in his hand as he closes the space between them and leaps into the air, driving his sword down into its head. The sound of metal screeching makes his ears ring and he stumbles back, yanking the sword free as he goes and watching as the eerie smoke he’s always associated with Calamity Ganon raises up and dissipates. A moment later, the whole thing explodes in a shower of sparks and scattered parts. Mind racing, he gets to his feet, approaching the wreckage and sorting through what he can scavenge and use on habit.

This shouldn’t have happened. He’s been up this path countless times and that Guardian has never stirred. The surviving corrupted Guardians he understands but a newly corrupted one means there’s something else going on, and the mere thought fills him with dread. He bends down to grab the Guardian shield which has returned to its small disc form. The sound of hoofbeats makes him look up as he places it back on his belt and he sees Epona approaching him with Sidon and Madwebiisaan still further up the hill waiting for them. He huffs out a breath and pulls himself up into the saddle. When he reaches Sidon, he offers a smile.

“Thanks for not coming back,” Link says.

“I will not stay away when it is another enemy for the record,” Sidon says. “I hope you know that.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Link says.

He could say something, he thinks, about what he’s worried about. But…no. Not now. This is supposed to be a good time for Sidon, and ruining it with speculations he doesn’t even have confirmation on won’t do either of them any good. They reach the Ancient Tech Lab a short while after. He dismounts first, offering a shoulder for Sidon to lean on as he tries to dismount and then stumbles from sudden muscle weakness from using his muscles in new ways.

“I…was not expecting that,” Sidon says.

“It takes some getting used to,” Link says. “But it beats walking.”

He ties up the horses to the post outside and then steps up to the lab door, knocking before opening it. Inside, Robbie is nowhere to be seen, but they find Jerrin sitting on her bed with a small desk placed in front of her with a collection of makeup paint pots and a mirror. She looks up when they enter, a brush applying blush powder to her cheeks freezing mid swipe.

“Oh hello!” she says. “Sorry. Usually I’m up and around earlier but Robbie was going on and on about a new project and reconfiguring the weapons machine. It kept me up.” Her eyes widen as Sidon makes his way inside, ducking down and then straightening with careful slow motions to make sure he doesn’t run into the assortment of machine parts strung everywhere. “And who’s this?”

“Jerrin, this is Prince Sidon of the Zora. Sidon, this is Jerrin. She’s Robbie’s wife,” Link says. “She helped make the typing system on my slate that lets me type things out instead of talking or signing.”

“Ah! A proper scientist then,” Sidon says. “A pleasure to meet you. That system has been so helpful in Link and I communicating sometimes, thank you for creating it!”

The flattery makes Jerrin blush enough that Link thinks she can skip out on the rest of her makeup routine. “Oh, I’m not _scientist_ -“

“Jerrin? Who are you talking to?”

“Link is here with a friend,” she calls up to him. She turns back to her mirror and finishes applying her blush before shoving all of her brushes into a drawer and starting to screw the lids back on the miniature pots. “I think they want to talk to you, so you might want to hurry down or I’ll try to run your infernal machine myself.”

There’s the sound of a curse and a moment later, Robbie drops down from one of the many holes in the wooden paths that lead up to the telescope on the roof, landing between all three of them. He lifts his goggles and squints up at Sidon.

“A Zora? You brought me a Zora,” Robbie says.

“He’s a person, not an experiment,” Jerrin says with a roll of her eyes. She tucks the paint pots away and stands, pushing the small desk to one of the corners of the room.

“Link said you know how to make weapons from the Guardian parts,” Sidon says. “I am trying to experience new things, and I wanted to see if I could make one of these weapons myself. Is that something you can assist me with?”

“Well, he’s certainly politer than you,” Robbie says, looking at Link. “Did you bring parts and money?”

Link tugs off his larger pack, opening the side pocket and moving to where Cherry sits at the center of the room before upending it and dumping out a not insignificant pile of Guardian parts, including a few cores. “I have rupees for whatever he wants to make.”

“Fantastic, let’s get started!” Robbie says, hopping up to grab one of Sidon’s fingers and then hauling him towards Cherry. “See that big opening attached to the pole? That’s where you’re going to put the parts in, but you gotta feed them in the right order and at the right time, otherwise it turns into a whole mess.”

“Ah, it is as complicated as I suspected,” Sidon says, kneeling down to sweep up a handful of the parts. “What shall we make, Link?”

“Whatever you want,” Link says. “It’s your list.”

“But we shouldn’t waste all the parts you’ve scavenged,” Sidon says. “What helps you fight these Guardians?”

“Uh, arrows mostly,” Link says.

Sidon nods and then looks back to Robbie. “I would like to make some arrows then. And perhaps a spear for myself to take back home.”

“Right on! You two clear the room, we need space to work,” Robbie says, opening the control panel on Cherry’s side.

Jerrin waves a dismissive hand at him and grabs Link’s wrist, tugging him out of the lab and outside instead. Link doesn’t mind. He prefers Jerrin’s company to Robbie’s. She’s always been…kind. Warm, even when he didn’t expect her to be with the way she assessed him with such a knowing gaze. He thinks in a lot of ways she’s smarter than Robbie. Practical. She sees ways the technologies can be used to help, not just used for war.

“Would you like to go for a walk with me?” she asks.

“Sure. I uh…have a question, actually,” Link says as they head towards the sea and start walking along the cliff’s edge. “Have you noticed any of the Guardians that were formerly dead waking up suddenly?”

“A few, yes,” Jerrin says with a nod. “It frightened me the first time it happened. I was out in the junkpile trying to find a large plate to re-forge and one of the damn things lit right up. Nearly burned my hair off if I hadn’t been quick enough.”

“Isn’t that…” Link pauses, forcing himself to think through his words. It’s Jerrin. She doesn’t mind waiting for him to collect his thoughts. “When we were walking up, one of the Guardians I’ve always walked past woke up. The Master Sword glowed the way it did when I’m around corrupted Guardians or Ganon himself, or the malice pools, but it hasn’t done something like that around a Guardian since I defeated him.”

“Calamity Ganon’s power isn’t fully understood,” Jerrin says. “But he is not just one single beast – he is a manifestation of corrupted power. I say ‘is’, because while you did defeat Calamity Ganon, he will return in some form. He always will. And so will you, and so will Queen Zelda, but the problem with magical phenomena is that they cannot be understood the way Sheikah technology can. Sometimes, someone capable of wielding the power you and Queen Zelda can simply does not appear and for centuries, the world is lost. But eventually, the darkness is beaten back when you show again.”

“How do you know all this?” Link says. “Robbie and Purah never seem to talk about this side of things.”

“They’re scientists,” Jerrin says. “The spiritual side of things, the magic…that’s more what Impa and myself are interested in. The Sheikah pass their traditions down through verbal communication, or in some cases, spiritual. The story of the Triforce and those who are its separate parts manifested in physical form is not something that’s ever been put in a book. All of this is to say that the way Ganon manifested this cycle is in a way we have not yet seen.”

She stops, turning to look out over the ocean towards the Lomei Labyrinth Island. Even just looking at the eerie structure makes something in him recoil and he ends up looking away towards the coastline instead.

“He spent a century soaking the air, the water, and the land with his corruption and his destruction. Fields went barren. The Zora had to retreat so far within the domain, extinction seemed imminent. It is not surprising that his influence can seep through the soil and into these ruined beings, though without the Blood Moon to strengthen his power, I believe you will find these instances fewer and fewer,” she says.

“But what if they don’t?” Wind rushes across the cliffside, blowing his hair into his face and he tucks it behind his ears as he turns to look at Jerrin. “What if it keeps happening, and he comes back in a few months’ time?”

“Link…” Jerrin turns to face him, reaching out to grab both of his hands. “You must understand that he will _always_ come back. It may be tomorrow, and it may be three thousand years from now, but you cannot live your life braced for the next calamity. It won’t help anyone. More importantly, it won’t help you.”

“Sidon says…Sidon says I shouldn’t feel guilty about being with him on his journey to experience new things,” Link says, the words bubbling up within him as he stares down at their entwined hands. “But I’m not helping clean up the corruption Calamity Ganon left behind, and Zelda had to hire all sorts of bounty hunters to do the work because I wasn’t doing it fast enough and now, I’m not doing it at all. That’s…it’s _wrong_.”

“It’s not,” Jerrin says. “You’re more than a legend. You’re a person too, and you deserve to cultivate friendships the way the rest of us have. We all continued on, had families, had gatherings, had festivals and parties, even as the Queen held the Calamity back and we watched it all on the horizon. If we could continue to live life then, why should you not get to live your life now?”

“Sidon said something similar,” Link says as he looks back up at her.

“Sidon is a smart person,” Jerrin says. “I am glad you are spending time with him, and I’m certain Queen Zelda is too. Do not feel guilty for stealing a moment of happiness. We all have, and we should. Do you understand?”

“I think so,” he says.

“Good,” she says with a smile. “And if you don’t, just ask Sidon to refresh your memory. He seems like a lovely friend.”

“He is,” Link says.

“Shall we return to them both then? The chaotic energy those two could create together well…I would like to have a home to return to,” she says. She releases his hands and turns back towards the lab. “Come on.”

Link hesitates a moment, staring out at the Lomei Labyrinth for just a second longer. He swears he can see the flash of red from one of the Guardian Skywalkers, still moving, still guarding, marching on heedless of its master being gone, just as the Guardian they’d seen in the distance on the wetlands. Perhaps they never will truly be rid of the Calamity and his destruction. But…he thinks he wouldn’t mind trying to live a life anyways.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a technique Sidon uses to help Link with an injury in this chapter which is actually how a doctor fixed my knee with a similar injury. I feel like such a technique would make sense with Zoras. 
> 
> I'm only part way through chapter 7, like 2k words. But from here on the chapters start getting longer and seem to stay that way so I'm trying not to beat myself up too hard about it. I'm also reworking part of chapter 4 (which so far is my favorite chapter) 
> 
> Thank you for the continued comments and kudos! It really helps keep me motivated

When he and Jerrin return to the Lab, there’s a small mountain of ancient arrows waiting at the front door for them. He and Jerrin both watch, perhaps in horror, as Sidon and Robbie talk excitedly as Cherry all but smokes behind them, her blue eyes blinking a few times before powering down.

“It’s amazing the way you’ve figured out how to reconstruct these parts into something more useful!” Sidon says.

“Thank you, it’s nice to have someone appreciate my-“

“Darling, you’ve broken the machine,” Jerrin cuts in.

Both Sidon and Robbie freeze and turn to look at Cherry and the sorry state she’s in.

“Oh dear,” Sidon says. “I’m so sorry, perhaps I got a little too enthusiastic. Can I…can I help fix her?”

“It’s fine,” Jerrin says, stepping around the arrows even as Link kneels to collect them.

He’s happy he has the rupees to pay for all this, even if he doesn’t exactly have the space for them. He jams what he can in his quiver and then heads out to their horses to put more in Epona’s saddlebags, but when he comes back there’s still at least twenty more arrows he has no space for.

“We’ll hold onto them for you,” Jerrin says as Sidon looks mournfully down at the pile. “When Link runs out, he can come get some of these. It’s no issue, really.”

“I’m sorry Link, I hope you don’t mind,” he says.

“I’ll use them eventually, so it’s not a waste,” Link says with a shake of his head. “Did you at least get to make a spear?”

Sidon’s expression lights back up and he pulls a shaft from where it’s clipped on his own weapons belt, giving it a quick twist and letting the glowing blue blades spring forth. “Robbie said it’s not as durable as my own weapons, but I wasn’t planning on using it anyways. I know you don’t want me fighting the Guardians, so I thought I would take it home as a memento of our journey together!”

His delight is infectious to the point that Link can’t help but smile back at him. “That’s great. Uhm…Jerrin, Robbie, thank you for having us, but we do have to leave. I’m hoping to get to Foothill Stable before too late.”

“Make sure you come back once she’s up and running again,” Robbie says, head half buried in his machine. “Sidon is a genius, he has so many ideas, I-“

“You should probably sneak out before he really gets going again,” Jerrin whispers to them.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Sidon whispers back.

He and Link sneak out the front door and Link heaves a sigh of relief at finally being outdoors again.

“Are you sure it’s not any trouble?” Sidon asks as he gets back on Madwebiisaan’s back.

“I’m sure,” Link says. “Arrows are the best way for me to fight Guardians and money wise I’m not that bad off. I’ve done a lot hunting and saved most of the money I made off selling the meat to different towns around Hyrule so…you don’t have to worry about it. I promise.”

“You really did prepare for everything,” Sidon says.

Link glances over at him as he sets their horses on a path back down the road. “The list is important to you. I want to make sure you have fun.”

“Still…it means a lot to me.”

Link can feel his cheeks flushing and he pulls his hood up to hide it on instinct, keeping his head bowed as they continue on their way. “Thanks…”

The path towards Akkala Tower is pretty, and quiet too. Likely the area has been cleared out of most of the Moblins and Bokoblins given how many bounty hunters had been hanging out in Tarrey Town, and while it still comes with a sting of guilt, Link is grateful that at least this stretch of their journey doesn’t require more fighting. But as they enter the winding road through the forest in the Akkala Highlands, the air changes.

“A thunderstorm is coming,” Sidon says before Link can verbalize his thoughts. “You can feel the electricity in the air.”

Link glances behind them and yes, the clouds are rolling in dark and fast. “Can you be out during a thunderstorm?”

“Normally, yes,” Sidon says. “But it looks like we will be leaving the trees soon, and I do not like the idea of being the tallest thing for the lightning to be drawn to.”

“South Akkala Stable isn’t far,” Link says. “We should make it in time.”

And they do – barely. Thunder begins to rumble shortly after they leave the trees, followed by a few drops of rain that begin to pick up speed as the stable enters their view. Lightning arcs across the sky with an echoing boom and then the skies open up, drenching them in rain as they reach the stable. They dismount and lead their horses just under the awning as other patrons and workers flee inside under full coverage.

“Will we stay here for the night?” Sidon asks.

“If the storms don’t let up,” Link says. “If it’s just rain we can continue.”

Sidon looks down at Link’s soaked clothes, the concern evident in his face. “I know Hylians can catch a bad chill if they linger in wet clothing, shouldn’t we wait until it’s dry again?”

Link shakes his head and pushes up his sleeve, revealing the Zora suit beneath his clothing. “Nope. I’ll be fine.”

“You really are prepared for anything, aren’t you?” Sidon asks.

Link smiles, ducking his head. “I guess.”

As the storm rages, they meander around the sound of the stable, mostly at Sidon’s urging, so he can get a better look at Akkala Tower. In the darkness of the storms, the malice that slicks over the tower glows with an unholy red light, made worse by the occasional flicker of the flying Guardian Skywatchers that still circle and guard their conquest.

“It’s…oddly beautiful,” Sidon says, his voice soft.

“Huh?”

Sidon’s cheeks flush red in the firelight from inside. “I’m sorry, perhaps that was insensitive. I just thought…I know the malice is dangerous and it harms and poisons all that it touches, but looking at it from here, with the storm raging, it feels comforting knowing you’re not alone in the darkness. That there’s something there.”

“They’re monsters,” Link says.

“Does that mean they are not alive?”

Link frowns, thinking of the Blood Moon, of the creatures brought back to life no matter how many times he’s slain them, bearing the scars of how he’d killed them before. “I…when the Blood Moon rose, the Moblins and Bokoblins I’d killed would return back to life and I could see on their skin the way I’d killed them last. It made them feel less alive every time I saw them again. They never seemed to recognize me.”

“I imagine that would make them seem more like puppets than living creatures,” Sidon says. He leans into Link, his weight warm and oddly comforting. “I apologize if it’s difficult for you to think about. Perhaps it helps when fighting for your life to think of those you are fighting as not truly alive.”

“Maybe…” Link frowns, watching as one of the Skywatchers disappears around the tower. “Do you think about the Lizalfos you kill to defend the Zora Domain as living creatures?”

Sidon nods. “Yes. We use what we can of their bodies the same way we do with any of the creatures we hunt. That is respect. You are like us in that way, and not like other Hylians. I see the way you use every inch of the animals you hunt and the enemies you kill. Even the Guardians – you never let their remains go to waste. Perhaps I was unfair in accusing you of seeing them as puppets. It is clear the more I think on it that you see the importance of giving even monsters the proper respect.”

“There might be something to what you said though,” Link says. “I…it’s been a long time since I’ve felt guilt for killing something.”

“That is the world we have lived and grown up in,” Sidon says. “We may respect these monsters in death, but that does not mean we can let them live and roam and senselessly attack us.”

“Do you think maybe…” Link cuts himself off, the thought alone making his chest and stomach twist uncomfortably. Sidon doesn’t push him. That, of all things, is what makes Link continue anyways. Sidon is perhaps one of the few people he can speak of such topics with after all. “Maybe it is Ganon’s influence that made them that way. Sometimes, when they didn’t see me I would see them…they would care for each other by their campfires. They would dance and sing.”

“And yet if they saw you, they would attack without mercy, right?” Sidon asks. “So you should not feel guilty about doing what you must to survive – none of us should. But perhaps we could try not to antagonize them unnecessarily.”

“Zelda has hired bounty hunters already,” Link says.

Sidon looks down at him, his gaze warm even with the heavy topic of discussion. “Does that bother you now to consider?”

“A little. I think,” Link says. “But I…I don’t know enough to know the right answer.”

“Maybe there isn’t one,” Sidon says, looking back towards the tower. “We’re just doing the best we can, and maybe it’s wrong. It’s a hard thing to be comfortable with, but like Queen Zelda, it is something my father has had to learn to live with and something I will have to learn to live with as well.”

They fall into silence then and watch as the rest of the storm carries itself out, the time between lightning strikes stretching out longer and longer until Link deems it safe enough to continue on their way. Their progress is a little slower with the rain so it’s late in the night when they reach the Foothill Stable. Link buys them two beds and makes sure the horses get stabled and fed. It’s as he’s putting hay in Epona’s feed net that he realizes that the last thing he wants right now is to be lying in bed alone.

He returns to the stable and speaks to the stable master to revoke one of the beds before finding Sidon getting as comfortable as he can in his own. He smiles and immediately Link feels guilt return. It hits him then how hard it is to travel with someone else and take care of their needs. When he’s on his own, he can do what he likes without regards to someone else’s feelings, but Sidon is his friend and he doesn’t want to make him feel rejected.

“I…I wanted to sleep in the stables tonight. I’m sorry,” he says.

“Sorry? For what?”

“For not wanting to stay with you,” Link says.

Sidon frowns. “I…that doesn’t bother me, Link. We have spent most of our time together, I don’t require you to be by my side constantly.”

“It’s…I don’t like sleeping alone in a bed, that’s all. It’s easier in a stable next to my horse,” Link says.

“Okay, I don’t mind,” Sidon says with a nod. “I’m not sure why you thought I would.”

“I’m…” Link’s nose wrinkles up and he pulls the slate from his side and pulls up the texting application Jerrin put on it, typing out what he wants to say before handing it to Sidon.

**_I’m used to everyone looking at me strange or treating me like I’m weird because I don’t like doing things like normal Hylians but I can’t help it. I keep trying to explain things to you in advance so that you won’t do the same._ **

Sidon reads the message over and hands the slate back with a shake of his head. “I do not know what is normal for Hylians, and even if I did, I wouldn’t care. You are my friend and as long as it makes you comfortable and isn’t causing you or me harm, I don’t mind, and I know you would never do anything to harm someone else, so I’m not worried about any of your behaviors causing something like that. You don’t have to ever explain yourself to me unless you want to. I promise.”

Link deflates, eyes sliding shut as relief washes through him. Again and again, Sidon surprises him with how easily he just accepts Link’s oddities, but perhaps it’s because he too has a lot of experience with Hylians finding him weird because of the differences in Zoran behavior. Whatever the reason, Link is grateful. He opens his eyes and signs a good night in Sidon’s direction before returning to the stable. Epona is standing in her stall dozing, but Madwebiisaan is lying down like usual.

He pulls himself over the stall door and tumbles down into the hay, tossing his pack behind Madwebiisaan’s head where it will be safe from any thieves and then curls up against the horse’s massive torso. Madwebiisaan huffs but otherwise lets him do as he wants. He gets comfortable against him, head resting against a well-muscled shoulder, and let’s sleep find him.

-.-

First thing in the morning, Link using the Sheikah Slate to transport himself to Gerudo Town. He changes in the shadow of the shrine and enters the town to retrieve the bracelets from Isha before changing back into his proper clothing and transporting himself back to the stable. Sidon is watching the stable hand re-saddle their mounts when he approaches, jingling with the jewelry he has.

“These are for you,” Link says, handing over the sapphire bracelets and watching as Sidon’s pupils go so wide he almost can’t see the gold of his irises anymore.

“Link…”

“They’re to regulate your body temperature,” Link says. “I don’t know how sensitive you are to temperature changes, so I made these to help. You can put them on if it starts getting too hot for you.”

“Well we will be bathing in a hot spring,” Sidon says. He takes the bracelets with a delicate hand, opening one of his packs on his hip to slip them inside so he can reach them easily. “Thank you, Link. They look beautiful.”

“Maybe I can introduce you to the person who helped me make them,” he says as he fishes in his pockets for some spare rupees to tip the stable hand. Once he’s paid, Link pulls himself up into Epona’s saddle. “She’s really nice, but I don’t know if she leaves Gerudo Town that often.”

“I would love to meet her if I have the chance,” Sidon says. He looks at Madwebiisaan and then back at Link. “Will my legs ever stop hurting?”

Link can’t help but laugh at the pout he sees on Sidon’s face, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he continues to do so the more lost Sidon looks at his reaction. “Maybe the hot spring will help. But yes, eventually you gain the muscle for it and it stops hurting as bad, though I don’t know if we’ll be on the road long enough for that to happen with you. Our whole journey isn’t on horseback.”

“No offense, friend,” Sidon says, patting Madwebiisaan’s snout before moving to swing back up into the saddle with a somewhat pained groan. “You have been a very reliable steed, thank you.”

Madwebiisaan tosses his head and starts out at a trot without waiting for either of them to command it. That just makes Link start laughing again. As uncomfortable as he has been with trying to keep Sidon safe and happy, it is nice to have a reason to smile and laugh as he journeys. He’d never had many opportunities to do so when traveling alone. Perhaps Sidon isn’t the only one who is getting to experience new things.

The sky stays clear as the grass gives way to craggy rock and the air begins to heat up. Midway to their destination, Sidon pulls one of the bracelets free and slips it on. Link keeps an eye on him but he seems fine, alert and happy to make conversation here and there when he sees something. They’re heading for Gero Pond. It isn’t quite the hot springs, but Link has soaked there before, and it’s safer than taking Sidon all the way up the mountain where he’s rather unconvinced that the charms will be enough to keep Sidon safe.

“I’m sure it will be just as great,” Sidon says when Link explains it to him. “But how will-“

_Clang_

Link looks up, freezing, but the only thing ahead of them is a large stone pillar that arches over and comes back down, and through the arch is where Gero Pond is. But he knows that noise.

“Sidon…”

“Where would you like me to go?” Sidon asks.

Link glances around, checks above and behind but he doesn’t see anything, which means it must be behind the pillar. “Head back down the path.” He dismounts from Epona, smacking her flank hard enough to convince her to leave. He never takes his horses in against a Guardian if he can help it, preferring to let them flee to safety instead of losing them because he failed to get the timing right.

Sidon urges Madwebiisaan after Epona as Link pulls out his bow and slips one of the ancient arrows free from its quiver to string in the bow as he crouches low and begins to approach the arch way. Now that he’s closer, he can hear the whirr of the Guardian’s internal machines. Likely it heard their approach but either couldn’t move or opted not to when it couldn’t see them. He’s guessing the latter. There hadn’t been a half buried ruined Guardian last time he’d come through here after all.

He presses himself to the inside of the arch and yes, now he can see one if its mechanical legs braced against a rock. He inhales once, slow and silent, and then throws himself out from his safety, eyes finding the Guardian’s head and letting the arrow fly, but he’d timed it wrong because the thing isn’t even looking at him. The arrow explodes, cracking into the head and making it spin as it lurches in his general direction, nearly knocking one of its legs against him as it darts back and then focuses its eye on him.

He draws another arrow but hesitates. He usually prefers to cut the legs off and earn himself more parts from the wreckage before the whole thing explodes, but taking such a risk when he has Sidon to protect doesn’t seem wise. His hesitation gives the Guardian the opening it needs to lunge forward and let forth a blast. Link rolls to the side, grunting as the boulder behind him explodes and a large chunk hits him in the shoulder, but he grits his teeth against the sudden pain and brings his bow up, aiming careful and then letting the arrow fly. Unlike before, this one hits dead on. The Guardian freezes, light from ancient arrow exploding outwards before the rest of the Guardian follows suit, one of its legs hurtling towards Link as it breaks free.

He ducks just in time, shaking dust and debris from his hair as he steps forward to collect the remains. He gets one step before the pain from the rock hitting his shoulder surges to the forefront, fingers spasming as he drops the bow and realizes all at once that his arm isn’t fully in its socket. The pain of his tendons pinched and twisted together is almost worse than the few times he’s fully dislocated something, and he grits his teeth against a pained cry as Sidon approaches on Madwebiisaan, not wanting to alarm him.

“You don’t look well,” Sidon says as he dismounts.

Link grips his upper arm but he knows damn well he’s not going to be able to shove it back in. “My arm is partially dislocated I can’t…I can’t just push it back in, I might hurt it worse.”

Sidon’s eyes widen. “Oh! I can help. Here, sit down and try to pull your tunic most of the way off.”

Together, they get Link’s tunic up and tugged part way down his bad arm so it’s just the skintight Zora suit beneath it and then Sidon’s fingers press into his upper arm and the muscles of his shoulder and collarbone. It doesn’t…hurt exactly but it’s not pleasant either.

“Zora have different bone structure than Hylians, so when we dislocate things, we’re much too fragile to just yank them back into place. We manipulate the muscles instead,” Sidon says. “It works on Hylians too, it just takes longer. Just give me a moment.”

Sidon pokes and tugs at his muscles, frowning in concentration as he works. His touch is firm, but gentle, gentler than Link usually is with himself in cases like this. After all, it’s not the first time he’s dislocated something, but he isn’t opposed to Sidon’s method. It’s…actually nice in a way. Sidon pulls his fingers away and then grabs his upper arm in one hand and pushes. All at once, his arm slips back into place and it’s as if he hadn’t hurt it at all in the first place, nothing at all like the painful jarring of ramming a joint back into place.

“That…thank you,” Link says. “That didn’t hurt at all.”

“I’m glad!” Sidon says. “You Hylians are too rough on your bodies sometimes.”

“I don’t know about other people, but I tend to take the most efficient path instead of the better one,” Link says. “The pond is just there.”

Sidon helps Link stand up and they walk over to the water’s edge together. “Is it safe you think?”

“Should be,” Link says. “That’s the first time I’ve seen a Guardian wander this far up, so I doubt we’ll see anymore. Why don’t you get in and I’ll make us some of the Goron curry? It’s not quite the same as when a Goron makes it, but it’s the closest I can get to their specialty dish.”

“Shouldn’t I do the cooking in thanks for you saving my life again?” Sidon asks as he strips off his weapons belt and sets that along with his spear on the shore of the pond.

Link waves a hand dismissively before going to Epona and rummaging through the saddlebags for the extra flask of water he keeps for cooking as well as his rice and small glass bottles of Goron spice and two bowls. Once he has those, he joins Sidon near the pond and sets them all down before stripping down to his Zora suit and hopping into the water. Normally, he might’ve stripped down to his under things, but the Guardian has left him on edge and he doesn’t want to end up fighting near naked if he can avoid it.

“There’s no water this warm in Zora’s Domain,” Sidon says, reclining back against the rocks as his eyes slide shut. “It really does help my legs…”

“They’re good for that,” Link says, shifting so he can pour the fresh water in the bowls and then the rice before placing both bowls in the pond, holding them so they’re only half in the water. The water in the bowls starts boiling almost immediately.

“Oh, that’s efficient,” Sidon says and when Link looks at him he has one of his eyes open.

“I have done this a few times when I was too impatient to wait to eat,” Link says.

“How do we eat this dish?” Sidon asks.

“Oh…” Link frowns, glancing at his small pile of materials and realizing he left the utensils in his bag. “I um…”

“If this is like what we talked about last night where you’re worried about looking strange to me, don’t worry,” Sidon says.

“It’s just the utensils bother me,” Link says in a rush. “They make my mouth and teeth feel weird, so I usually eat everything with my hands, or just slurp down dishes like this. I don’t…my sense of taste isn’t that great anyways so I don’t really sit and savor food that often like a lot of people do.”

“Because you don’t like it?” Sidon asks, opening both eyes and shifting in the water to face him.

“No, I do I just don’t normally…have time,” Link says. He pulls the bowls, out of the water, lifting one to his lips and tipping it enough just to get some of the rice to fall into his mouth so he can test it to see if it’s done. Luckily it is.

“Well we have time now, so we shall savor this…curry?”

Link nods. “Yup.” He opens two of the jars of spice and dumps one each in the bowls, swishing it around a bit to stir before handing one of the bowls off to Sidon. “But you’re going to have to teach me about this savoring thing.”

“You sip it right, like a drink you said?” Sidon asks, tipping the bowl up. He sips some of the rice into his mouth, eyes widening and cheeks flushing red a moment later. “That is…”

“Spicy, right?” Link asks. He tips his own bowl and lets some of the rice slip into his mouth, but only a little the way Sidon had, and takes the time to chew it and really taste the spices. They’re hot, certainly, but Link likes the sensation it leaves behind on his tongue.

“We don’t have anything like this back home,” Sidon says, smacking his lips and then darting his tongue out to taste a smaller bit of the rice. “This is…odd, but very delicious!”

They eat at Sidon’s pace, and now that he isn’t worried about how strange he looks for eating in a different way, it’s easier to eat slowly. It’s nicer too. When he stops to really taste what he’s eating, he finds that a dish he’s eaten hundreds of times actually tastes much better than he thought it did. They make their way through their food and Link rinses their bowls with the last of the water in his flask before pulling himself up out of the pond to return his supplies to their rightful place.

“Are you ready to head out?” Link asks.

“Another five minutes,” Sidon says, pushing away from the wall of the pond and floating out into the middle on his back. “It’s so nice…”

Link smiles, happy to see how content Sidon is in the warm water. He uses the opportunity to strip out of the Zora suit, laying it out across Epona’s flank as he changes instead into his normal Hylian clothing. In the time it takes him to change, the suit is almost entirely dry so he doesn’t worry too much about folding it up and slipping it into one of the packs. He’s just finishing up when he hears Sidon emerge from the pond.

“This has been absolutely delightful, Link, thank you for taking me here,” Sidon says as he pulls on his weapons belt and grabs his spear.

“You know, you don’t have to thank me for every single thing we do, you’ll get tired,” Link says, and he mostly means it as a joke, but the look Sidon gives him is serious.

“I want to,” Sidon says. “Our friendship means so much to me, and I cannot express what it means to me that you are going out of your way to do such kind things for me. Truly, thank you.”

Link can feel his cheeks heat, but he hopes he can just pass it off on their location. “I’m not…I’m not used to being thanked so often.”

Sidon frowns as he approaches Madwebiisaan. “That’s not right. I know how much you do for anyone you meet and how willing you are to help. I will do everything I can to make sure you get used to hearing that people are thankful for your hard work, you’ll see.”

It’s the best threat Link’s ever heard.

-.-

They make it to the Woodland Stable just as the sun is beginning to set, and it casts an interesting glow on Zelo Pond as they walk past it. Link stops long enough to catch them some fish, working fast so Sidon won’t feel inclined to get down from Madwebiisaan, and strings the catches together over his shoulder to cook once they have their beds. Today, perhaps because there have been no conversations that pick at his psyche, he thinks he’ll sleep fine in a bed. He turns their horses over to the stablemaster and leads Sidon to the communal fire. There’s not a lot of people this way, so they have the cooking pot to themselves.

Link hands off three of the raw bass for Sidon to eat the way he prefers before de-scaling and de-boning his own and throwing it in the pot with a few mushrooms and herbs and enough water to make it all cook. He sort of loses track of time then, staring down into the sizzling pot. He’s a little tired. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy Sidon’s company, he’s just not used to being around someone that much. Going to towns has never been easy, but it’s almost been a relief when he’s spent weeks traipsing through the wilds on his own without speaking to another person when he finally staggers into town.

But now it’s not like that. It’s only been a few days, but he feels drained and exhausted. He doesn’t even notice when his eyes slip closed, but he’s jostled awake by the sound of metal scraping against a pan and when he opens his eyes, he’s sitting in Sidon’s lap as he scrapes food out of the pan and into a bowl with the metal ladle near the fire. No silverware. He shifts to hold the bowl at chest height for Link.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Sidon says. “You didn’t even move when I picked you up. Is this okay?”

Link nods and plunges a hand into the bowl, shoving the food into his mouth and chewing just enough that he doesn’t choke. It doesn’t register until he’s swallowed the last of his food that Sidon doesn’t mean if holding his food for him was okay, but rather if it’s okay that this is the closet they’ve been since they fought Vah Ruta together. Sidon sets the bowl aside and Link freezes, taking in the way Sidon’s thighs press to his, the way he fits easily in his lap, how warm Sidon feels against his back, how he very much doesn’t like how cold he feels now that Sidon’s arms around wrapped around him.

Since when did he like being touched? He’s always recoiled from it on instinct, but he supposes that makes sense when most of his interactions involve fighting for his life. A profound…something, wells up within him and spills over and before he can think about what he’s doing, he’s turning and all but throwing himself in Sidon’s arms, knees digging into the dirt between his thighs as he tosses his arms around Sidon’s neck and shoves his face against the chest. It’s…nice. That’s all. He didn’t know this was a thing that could be an option. Or maybe it isn’t an option and he’s made this all incredibly weird, but Sidon’s arms wrap around his lower back, thick and warm and holding him close.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever touched me like this,” Link mumbles into his chest.

“Really?”

Link shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut tight against the shame that fills his chest that he’s acting so much like a child. He can’t remember his parents at all. He doesn’t even know if he had parents, or if he was an orphan, or really anything about the friendly touches between family and friends.

“I’m sorry,” he says, voice feeling shaky.

“It’s okay but I…we should probably go someplace else,” Sidon says.

Without waiting for Link to say anything, Sidon stands up, lifting Link as he goes and carrying him easily over to a nearby tree and sitting back down against it on the side facing away from the road. The moment he sits, Link wiggles his way close again, something deep and instinctive within him craving the contact and the closeness.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he says.

“Everyone likes to be held sometimes, and you don’t have a lot of friends, do you?” Sidon asks, and he sounds sad.

“Not really. You, and I think Yunobo. He’s called me his friend before,” Link says. He runs his hands up and down Sidon’s shoulders, and then down his chest as he leans back to look at Sidon. It’s so odd, how comforted he feels just by having his hands against Sidon’s form. “I’m-“

“No more apologizing for things that we all long for,” Sidon says. “If you wish for me to hug you, or hold you, just ask. I am more than happy to. In truth, I think the only reason I haven’t initiated anything is I thought you didn’t want anyone to touch you.”

“I didn’t think I wanted anyone to either. Not until…now,” Link says. He can feel his cheeks heating up again and he’s grateful for the cover of darkness. “I feel…foolish.”

“There is nothing foolish about wanting a reminder that you aren’t alone,” Sidon says. “And that’s what touch is.”

Link relaxes back down against Sidon’s warm weight. The realization that this is the first time he’s truly felt as though he isn’t alone feels significant, but he’s too tired to parse out what that means for him, and more importantly, for their friendship. So instead, he greedily sucks up as much of the touch and warmth Sidon is willing to give him.

Later, when Sidon is fast asleep in the bed across from his own, Link pulls the covers right around his shoulders and dreams of sitting by a fire with a young girl beside him as an older woman stirs a pot of soup in front of them. He hopes it’s a memory. He hopes at one point in the long history of the heroes of legend, he lived a life of contentment and warmth and love. Maybe there’s a chance he’ll have that again.   
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the one day delay posting this. I am almost done with chapter 8 and there are some events in that chapter I needed to make sure I didn't need to change anything in this chapter. I hope you enjoy! I think it's going to be around 11-12 chapters so I'm going to tentatively put a chapter count on this. 
> 
> Thank you for your continued support! Comments and kudos are loved and appreciated.

They head out for the Lost Woods the next morning after a quick breakfast. This is the first time Link has taken this path since defeating Calamity Ganon, and it’s nice to look at the castle in its true form as the sun rises behind it. It looks majestic this way instead of frightening and ominous.

Sidon…doesn’t mention anything about the night before. Link is grateful about it more than anything, happy to not have to wrestle with his shame about the way he behaved and pick it apart in the light of day. He thinks he probably should at some point. He’s obviously been missing out on the casual intimacy of friendship, and it’s apparent that he craves it, but he’s not comfortable with what they’d done together even if Sidon is. Not that he thinks Sidon forced the hugging on him unwillingly. He’s just…not used to it. It’s uncomfortable.

Maybe it’s like any other muscle. He has to do it over and over again until it feels natural, and then he’ll enjoy it the way he enjoys fighting. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking. He’s not sure. It’d probably be easier to parse out if he just talked to Sidon about it, but the morning feels so peaceful as they plod through the trees and the sun-dappled pathway. He doesn’t want to disturb the peace with his own useless thoughts about what he wants. Jerrin and Sidon are both right – he does deserve friends and a life outside being a legendary weapon just like everyone else does.

But he’s not ready for everything to change. As nice as it had felt to be wrapped in Sidon’s arms, it had scared him too, because change in general carried with it an uneasiness he isn’t sure how to grapple with.

“What’s that smell?” Sidon asks and when Link looks at him, some of the fins that hang down around his face twitch.

“Oh, we must be getting close to the old military camp,” Link says. “It has a bog around it, and it’s poisonous, I never considered that you might be sensitive to the smell of it.”

“If it’s poisonous, how will we get through it?” Sidon asks, and Link can see his cheeks are quite literally looking a little green.

“We aren’t, the path goes around it. Here.” Link strips off his cloak and passes it to Sidon. “I don’t know um…where you smell from, but wrap that around and it should help.”

Sidon wraps the cloak first around his neck and then up around his mouth as well, eyes narrowing from the stench that Link genuinely can’t smell. They emerge from the trees and from there the Sheikah tower is visible, as is the now abandoned Moblin and Bokoblin camp that rings it through and around the mire.

“This must have been difficult to take back,” Sidon says.

“Only because I kept having to dodge arrows,” Link says. “I didn’t actually kill any of the monsters here.”

Sidon looks back at him, eyes wide. “So you just dodged them while climbing that thing?”

Link nods. “I didn’t…if I could avoid it, I didn’t fight them. More often than not I just snuck past their camps, it was only when they spotted me or if I found them attacking someone else that I went after them.”

“But didn’t you say you don’t feel guilty about it?”

“Just because I don’t feel guilty about defending myself doesn’t mean I wanted to seek them out just for the purpose of killing them,” Link says.

“Is that why you haven’t been hunting them?”

The question takes Link by surprise. He’d never really sat and thought about why it is he never asked Zelda where her areas of concern were so he could destroy them. Since defeating Calamity Ganon, he’d instead been trying to find every shrine he could and investigating various ruins at Zelda’s urging. She’d mentioned that she’d hired bounty hunters, but he’s never felt inclined to ask her about them. Sure, now he feels guilty that other people are doing work he’s more than capable of doing but…

“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Link says. “I…I would if she asked me to.”

“Even if it made you uncomfortable?”

Link nods. “That’s not a reason not to do something that needs to be done.”

“Just because it needs to be done doesn’t mean it needs to be done by you, does it? There are other fighters, and Zelda’s offer of monetary reward for the work helps stimulate the local economy wherever the hunters go as well,” Sidon says. “Her decision isn’t based solely on you. And Link…if the thought of killing monsters who are leaving people alone bothers you, then you shouldn’t force yourself to do it even if she asked.”

“But I-“ Link cuts himself off, knowing that Sidon would disagree with his next words, just as Jerrin did. “I know…I know you think I am more than a weapon, it’s just hard to see myself that way.”

“I know,” Sidon says. “But I’m glad you stopped yourself from trying to argue that that’s all you are. The only way you correct negative thoughts about yourself is to refuse to engage them over and over until they finally go away.”

Link glances over at him as they pass the Sheikah tower and leave the bog behind them. “Speaking from experience?”

“A little, yes,” Sidon says. “For a while, before you came, I was stuck thinking all sorts of things about myself and how I was a useless leader because I couldn’t get Vah Ruta under control the way Mipha had. I tried everything, nearly lost my life a few times too, but I couldn’t make it stop. I did…I did not have the most positive view of myself then.”

“I didn’t realize,” Link says.

“Of course not,” Sidon says as he reaches up to unwind the cloak once more. “I didn’t want you to. I…you were so cool and calm, and you fought so well even when you were taken by surprise, so I didn’t want you to think I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Then why are you telling me now?”

Sidon hands the cloak back over to Link. “Well now we’re friends.” He winks and offers a grin and Link’s heart races a little faster as he takes the cloak back and slings it around his shoulders. “You’re stuck with me even if you do think I’m stupid.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid,” Link says. “I think when we first met, I was just taken aback at how you just asked me for help.”

“Why?” Sidon asks, then shakes his head. “No, I see. You don’t ask for help yourself really ever.”

Link looks down at his hands where they’re tangled in the reins. “No, not really. I couldn’t, really, it wasn’t right.”

“What do you mean by that?” Sidon asks.

“It’s like you said, right? You don’t want others to see that you’re struggling. It’s why I’m so quiet, I think, around other people, because once I start talking, I have the urge to tell them what I’m feeling but I don’t want to,” Link says. “So, then I get overwhelmed and have to stop myself entirely before I let something out that I don’t want to burden someone with. But with you I don’t really…feel that way. Not as much, anyways.”

“I’m glad that sharing with me feels safe,” Sidon says, his voice quiet. “It means a lot to hear you trust me with that. I never want you to feel as though I think you expressing your feelings with me is a burden you’re placing on me. Even if it was, I’d happily bear it. But it isn’t.”

“I uh…I would like to not talk now,” Link says, his throat feeling tight and aching from some unknown emotion in his chest. It’s not shame, exactly, but it feels like he’s laid too much out at once, exposed too many soft and sensitized parts of his inner thoughts, and even knowing Sidon would never use them against him, he feels too exposed for his own liking.

“It’s okay,” Sidon says. He reaches out across the space between them and squeezes Link’s shoulder once before letting go. “Let’s just enjoy the scenery.”

-.-

They arrive at the Lost Woods in the late morning and he watches with a grin on his face at Sidon’s expression as they enter the wood and the fog swamps them, blocking the sunlight and closing the obvious path out. Sidon turns to look behind them and then forward again at the flickering torches.

“Is this normal?” he asks, his voice a hushed whisper.

“Yeah,” Link says. “It’s how the Korok and The Great Deku tree have stayed safe. I don’t know exactly what the magic is that causes it, but the Korok I spoke to say their homes have always been protected by magic that keeps Ganon’s influence at bay.”

“Truly an amazing feat,” Sidon says. “But how do we get through?”

“We’ll leave the horses here and go on foot,” Link says. “They’ll be safe here.”

They both dismount and Link takes the food supplies he likes to keep on hand from the saddlebag and moves them to his main pack before heading over to the first light and grabbing the torch from the base. He swipes it through the fire to light it up and then hands it to Sidon.

“Just hold it for me so I can see which way the wind blows,” Link says.

Sidon obeys, eyes wide with wonder. The giddiness of his expression makes Link want to smile again, so he does. The wind is blowing south this time, so Link leads them on. Every time he comes here, the path changes and the same holds true this time. As they walk, Link repeatedly asks Sidon to stop and then reassesses which way the wind is blowing before they set out again, picking their way slowly but steadily through the trees.

“Is it like this every time?” Sidon asks.

“Usually I just use the shrines,” Link says. “But if there’s somewhere specific I want to go in the Lost Woods, this is the method you have to use to get around, otherwise the fog swallows you up and drops you back at the entrance to the woods.” He glances up at Sidon as they come to another stop to see which way the wind blows now. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t,” Sidon says, expression and tone both earnest. “Thank you for trusting me with something so important. I promise to never endanger those who live here with this knowledge.”

It’s odd, the way Link feels so happy at Sidon’s words. Knowing Sidon cares for the same things he does and treats them with the same deference and respect Link believes they deserve, pleases him on some level he’s not quite sure he understands. So often, for so many reasons, those he knows and interacts with make him feel odd for what he values. Sidon never does. If anything, Sidon goes above and beyond to show just how much he respects and cares for whatever boundaries Link puts in place.

They round a corner and end up between two towering cliffs and Link knows they’re close now. This is always what he sees before he reaches the center. He stops and looks upward and then nudges Sidon’s side and points up to the canopy of pink leaves that can be seen through the fog.

“We’re close,” Link says. “That’s the Great Deku Tree.”

“He’s that big? I thought…perhaps smaller,” Sidon says, and it’s the first time Link’s heard him sound uncertain.

“Now you know how I feel around your father,” Link says.

“My father is very kind!”

“So is the Great Deku Tree,” Link says. “I think he’ll be happy to meet you.” He tugs on Sidon’s arm and they keep heading forward.

The fog rolls up as they approach a large hollowed out tree trunk to walk through and then, finally, Sidon gets to see the beauty of the forest. The sunlight streams through the canopy of leaves above, lighting the forest floor in a warm glow and showing the beautiful trees full of green leaves and the robust undergrowth, an exact counter to the dead forest they had walked through to get there. Sidon stops, eyes wide as he looks around, taking in the wood, and the Koroks that begin to crowd around his ankles. It hits Link then that this is quite possibly the first time many of them have seen a Zora.

“Link! What are they?” Sidon asks, and his loud voice sends the Korok who had gathered scattering away.

“They’re the Korok,” Link says. “Lots of them travel, but a lot more never leave the Lost Woods.”

“But what-“

“They are the children of the forest.”

The voice belongs to none other than the Great Deku Tree and Link pushes Sidon forward onto the platform that once held the Master Sword. Sidon stares right up at the Great Deku Tree, mouth open.

“Hello, sir,” Sidon says.

Link pries the torch from Sidon’s hand and waves it to blow the flame out before letting it drop onto the stone platform until it cools. Sidon doesn’t even notice.

“The Prince of the Zora, yes? Sidon?”

“I didn’t realize my identity was known to you,” Sidon says, sounding breathless. “It’s an honor to meet you. You’re just a legend where I’m from – I’m so sorry that sounds rude.”

“Do not worry,” the Great Deku Tree says. “The Lost Woods is not meant for visitors.”

“I can leave,” Sidon says.

“No need. The Great Deku Trees of past ages have had positive relations with the royal line of the Zora, and some of our people have worked together in the past. You are most welcome here, Prince Sidon.”

“Shall I leave you two to talk?” Link asks.

Sidon looks down at him and then crouches down so his face is close to Link’s ear. “Quite frankly I feel very intimidated. I just…have one more thing to say and then we can go where you’d like.”

Link nods. “That’s fine.”

Sidon straightens and turns back to the Great Deku Tree. “It is my understanding through many legends that you helped protect not just the Master Sword but the Link of ages past as well.” He bows then, the sudden deference taking Link by surprise. “Thank you for protecting all of Hyrule, as well as my most treasured friend through so many different lifetimes.”

Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Link finds himself at a complete loss of words. That Sidon wanted to come to see the Great Deku Tree for this…he feels…loved? Sidon has always called him a precious and treasured friend, but he hadn’t realized just how deep those feelings ran for him.

“Such thanks is not necessary, but I see it is important to you that I hear your words,” the Great Deku Tree says. “You are welcome.”

Sidon exhales and straightens back up before turning to Link and smiling as if he hadn’t just thrown Link’s entire worldview off its axis. “So, where shall we go next?”

Link swallows and pulls his Sheikah Slate out to type his response.

**_“There’s a lake that I like deeper in the woods. It feels special to me.”_ **

“Here?” Sidon asks.

“Saria’s Lake,” Link says, the name feeling odd and familiar on his tongue as it always does.

“Okay! Let’s go there then,” Sidon says. “It was nice to meet you, Great Deku Tree.”

Link leaves Sidon at the stone platform and heads up to the small store, buying enough mushrooms to make them a meal before returning to Sidon. He grabs the torch off the stone and jerks his chin for Sidon to follow him. Together, they head south east through a few tree trunks, following the little bean sprout lights up. Before long, the fog rolls in once more and that’s when Link pulls out the Sheikah Slate, activating the Magnesis Rune and then holding it up at eye level to start scanning the trees.

“Ah, this is the rune you use to lift metal, yes?” Sidon asks.

Link nods. “There’s metal boulders for…um…”

“Metal boulders mark the path, like the way the wind did on our way in?” Sidon asks and Link sighs and gives another nod in answer.

He wishes he could articulate it better himself, but he still feels too thrown by what Sidon had said earlier. They make their way through the trees, moving slow but steady from boulder to boulder with Sidon easily dispatching the few Bokoblin skeletons that rise up from the ground they tread over - remnants of those who tried to reach the Great Deku Tree and failed. Most of the afternoon passes until they finally reach the clearing with its rusty shield and the small marker indicating what Link had to do to reveal the shrine.

They don’t need to do any of that though, so instead Link turns to the right and the fog gives way to reveal the small lake with its shrine on the opposite shore and an island in the middle. It isn’t as impressive as the Korok forest that surrounds the Great Deku Tree but it’s special to him. He isn’t sure if he wants to try and explain why, not right now. Not when he’s still reeling from the emotions Sidon has evoked within him.

“Sorry it’s not. Pretty,” Link says.

“It is though,” Sidon says, crouching by the water. “Everything in this wood is shrouded in this dark glow from the magic that protects it. Most people think beauty comes from light, from bright gems or sharp blades or sparkling magic, but there’s beauty in darkness too, isn’t there? Just…don’t speak for a moment and just listen.”

Link obeys, staring out across the water. Save for the gentle lapping of the water at the shore, there’s no sound at all. Out here, where the wind isn’t used as a tool to guide them, the leaves don’t even stir in the trees, and the fog deadens the sound of any of the creatures that may be scurrying around in the undergrowth. The water itself is like slow moving glass, like the cooling liquid that pours into a mold by the skilled Goron craftsman on Death Mountain. When he looks up, he can see the sky and the sun still, but it’s muted by a dark blue filter, no doubt the result of the magic that protects the Lost Woods. But that just makes the sun and sky look pretty in a new way. There’s nowhere else that the sun would take on such an odd quality to it after all.

“Do you see?” Sidon asks.

“Yeah,” Link says. He crouches down beside Sidon, leaning into him and pressing his forehead to Sidon’s upper arm just to be close to him. They sit there together for another moment, appreciating the silence.

“Shall we swim across and make camp for the night?”

“We don’t have to,” Link says, straightening back up.

“You said this place is special to you, so I don’t mind spending the rest of our day here,” Sidon says. “Come on, I’ll swim us to the other side.”

Sidon pulls his belt free and hands it to Link for safe keeping before slipping into the water. Link climbs onto his back, shifting to keep their important items free of the water and then hanging on tight to Sidon’s shoulders as he swims across the lake to the island in the middle. Once there, Link sets their things on the ground and then pulls one of his fire arrows out, igniting it to set the two torches that sit on either side of the tree alight before setting about gathering wood for a proper fire.

“Are there fish in this lake that I can hunt for us?” Sidon asks.

“Yeah, Stealthfin Trout,” Link says. “They’re really skittish though.”

“I’m a Zora,” Sidon says with a dramatic wink that makes Link snort in response.

Sidon slips back into the water and Link sets about looking for firewood, making them a decent fire with enough extra wood set aside that they can stay warm through the night. As the sun sets, Link uses his torch to bring the fire from the two torchlights to the campfire before setting up his cooking pan. By the time Sidon returns with an armful of Stealthfin Trout, he’s cooked up a large bowl of seasoned mushrooms.

He looks up at Sidon and chooses to sign with his hands. _“It’s not quite a specialty dish, but all the mushrooms and herbs are gathered here by the Korok. Eat up while I deal with the fish.”_

“I’ll save some for you,” Sidon says.

As Sidon eats, Link debones and descales the fish he’s hunted for them, fashioning a quick drying rack out of the wood he’s gathered to set some of it to dry after salting it so they can use it for rations later. The rest he puts in another pan to begin cooking with some herbs and the last of the vegetables he has.

“For someone who doesn’t care about taste, you certainly know your way around flavors,” Sidon says as he finishes his portion of the mushrooms. He hands the bowl back to Link.

Link scoops out the remainder and shovels it into his mouth before signing again. _“I don’t remember where I learned how to cook. It’s just something I knew when I woke up. If I were to guess, I’d say Daruk or Mipha taught me because they were the ones who seemed to really like me. Urbosa did too, but she was closer with Zelda. Daruk and Mipha were…friends.”_

“It must be hard trying to keep track of which memories are yours and which are just dreams, no?”

He’d almost forgotten he’d told Sidon about the dreams he sometimes had. He offers a nod. _“Sometimes it’s obvious. I have a sibling sometimes, or a grandmother, or the whole world is different and isn’t even called Hyrule. But other times it’s…I just don’t know.”_

“It’s okay,” Sidon says. “Your memories, or dreams, are yours and yours alone. You can appreciate them for what they are without believing them to be a fact.”

Link finishes eating his food as he considers the words. He finishes cooking off the fish and puts most of it in a bowl for Sidon and gives himself the remainder. They eat their meal in silence. Link appreciates how willing Sidon always seems to be to give him the space to contemplate his words and return to a conversation when he’s ready. Once the food is gone, Link cleans up their bowls and pans in the lake and sets those out to dry. When he turns back, Sidon is stretched out beside the fire and looking up at the sky.

He hesitates for a moment before stepping around the fire and then lying down beside him. It takes another moment for him to get the courage to curl into Sidon’s warm weight, but when he does, Sidon just wraps one large arm around him, fingers curling around his shoulder and holding him in an easy grip. Even through the strange mist that coats the sky, they can still see the stars.

“That constellation is one of my favorites,” Sidon says, pointing up to a line of seven stars, the ones on either end shining startlingly bright. “We call it the Seven-“

“Sages.”

“Well, actually, we call it the Seven Warriors,” Sidon says. “Do Hylians call it the Seven Sages?”

Link feels his throat tighten and he wishes he could take the word back. The Hylians also called it the Seven Warriors, and he knows that, but here at Saria’s Lake, with the fog and the magic all around them, he feels closer to someone else than himself. “No. It’s…”

“A dream?” Sidon asks, voice hushed.

“A memory.”

He closes his eyes tight, shoving his face against Sidon’s chest as his breathing picks up, something like panic choking him. Sidon squeezes his shoulder and then sits them both up. With little fanfare, he tugs Link into his lap and cradles him close as he had the night before, surrounding him in warmth as he tries to ride out his own fear.

“Why don’t you tell me?” Sidon asks. “Tell me about the Seven Sages.”

“They’re supposed to protect the Triforce. There’s a sage of Light, a Hylian name Rauru. A Sage of Water from the Zora named Ruto, and a Sage of Fire from the Goron called Darunia. The Gerudo had the Sage of Spirit, a warrior named Nabooru, and the Sheikah had the Sage of Shadow. She went by Impa, but it’s…she’s different than the one here. Then there’s Zelda, who’s meant to lead them all,” Link says, and he hates that he doesn’t know where the words are coming from.

There’s a profound sadness he feels as he says their names, but he doesn’t _know_ them. He doesn’t know who they are, and he’s never spoken to them, except apparently he had at some point, in some far gone age, long before even the Sheikah towers and Divine Beasts were first created.

“That’s six,” Sidon says. He rests his chin on Link’s head, the fins that frame his face tickling Link’s cheeks as he buries his face in Sidon’s neck. “Who’s the seventh?”

“Saria. Sage of the Forest. She was…his friend,” Link says.

“His? Or yours?”

“I don’t know!” Link shoves himself away, feeling far too overwhelmed by his own emotions, or those of some hero that isn’t quite him that still slumbers inside him, to stay near Sidon. He paces over to the other end of the small island to look at the shrine, jaw clenched tight. “I don’t know if we’re all the same, or if we’re all different and we just carry each other’s memories forever, or if it’s all just things I’ve made up in my head. I don’t know. I just…I know I am sad when I think about her.”

“Do you need a moment?” Sidon calls from where he sits.

“Yes.”

Link sits down with a thump at the water’s edge. He closes his eyes and tries to think, tries to remember what happened to Saria and the others, but no matter how hard he tries, it all twists together. Sometimes he’s a child again, but yet banned from his home, and so he grows old alone and adrift, wandering a world that has no memory of who he is or what he’d done. He never remembers or dreams of what exactly happens. He’s left only with a profound and nagging sense of loneliness that leaves him feeling drained for hours after he wakes.

“I don’t know what happened to them,” Link says, staring down at his own distorted reflection. “I don’t even know if they’re real.”

“I think they are.”

There’s the sound of footsteps, slow and deliberate, and then Sidon sits down on the ground beside him a few feet away. He lets his legs slip into the water and leans back on his hands. When Link looks at him, he’s staring up at the sky, the distorted light of the wood casting them both in an ethereal glow.

“Rauru Settlement exists near the castle, and Princess Ruto is spoken of highly in our legends. In fact, it is likely Mipha and I are both her descendant,” Sidon says. “The Zora have done their best to keep records on our own bloodlines, and not just the royal bloodline either. There are only a few gaps, but it’s a near direct line back to her so she definitely existed.”

“And someone must have remembered Saria if…if this lake is named for her,” Link says, looking back at the water.

“If you look all across Hyrule, I am certain you will find confirmation that the friends of your past lives are written as firmly as your own deeds have been,” Sidon says. “Link…forgive me if I am over-stepping, but I do not think it is wrong of you to grieve for a past you can’t remember and that belonged to someone you once were. Even if you are only you now…it is not wrong to remember and feel for those you once knew, even if you cannot fully remember them.”

“Am I not stealing the life of the Link from then?”

“I suppose you could look at it that way, but I’m not sure why you would,” Sidon says. “It is when we are forgotten that we truly die, is it not? So when you remember these past friends, it helps keep their memory alive. It keeps _his_ memory alive.”

“I didn’t even know her…”

“Does it feel like you did?”

Link frowns down at his reflection and then looks back to Sidon, almost flinching when he sees Sidon looking right at him. “Yes. It does.”

“Then you knew her, and you miss her,” Sidon says with an easy smile. “It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.”

“I just want. I want. To be me.” Link shakes his head once, and then again harder, his face feeling flushed and hot and his throat tight. He sucks in a harsh breath and when he lets it out, it comes with a strangled noise like a cry and he presses his palms to his eyes to stop the tears. Or at least he tries.

“You are you, Link,” Sidon says.

“No! I’m…I’m all of them and I don’t. Want that.” He bites the words out between deep gasps of air, fingers tugging at his own hair but the pain of the action just makes him feel even more overwhelmed.

When large warm hands touch his own, he flinches, but Sidon holds fast, prying his hands away from his face and hair with a soft but insistent touch. “You carry a tremendous burden, my friend. I cannot imagine what it is like to feel so many lives at once for even a moment, but that does not mean you are not the Link of this time. You do not have to be them. No one is asking that of you, not anymore. Would the Links of then truly desire for you to be consumed by a need to fulfill their desires, or would they want you to live the life _you_ want to live?”

And it’s true. With Calamity Ganon gone, there’s no need for a legendary hero. Now, he’s just Link. Just another warrior.

“You shouldn’t feel the need to push those memories away, but you also shouldn’t let them drain you either,” Sidon says. “They are not you, not really. You are Link, a man capable of great empathy who wishes to help everyone he comes into contact with. But that means you have to be careful not to be swallowed by the expectations and desires of others and what they want from you. Including mine. Including those of the people you once were.”

Link sniffs, fingers curling into fists in Sidon’s warm grip. “I can’t remember the last time I cried.”

“Well, let’s cross it off _your_ bucket list. Weeping inconsolably in the arms of a friend is an important milestone for everyone,” Sidon says and when Link looks up at him, there’s nothing but genuine sincerity in his eyes.

“Thanks,” he says, the word coming out hoarse and strained. “For…everything you said.”

“Do you want to tell me about Saria and Ruto?” Sidon asks.

Link swallows, considering. “Yeah…yeah I do.”

So he does, tucked into Sidon’s side near the fire. They stretch out on the ground together, Link resting his head on Sidon’s shoulder as he talks. He speaks of everything he can remember. Saria’s hair, the melody she taught the Link of then on the ocarina, the temple that was more like a military base than a place of worship. He tells of how Ruto proposed to the Link of then at just twelve years old. Sidon laughs, loud and clear, enough that Link can’t help but laugh too.

“She sounds like she knew what she wanted,” Sidon says.

“Yeah but…I don’t think he ever returned her feelings,” Link says. “He liked Saria.”

“She seemed like she was quite sweet,” Sidon says.

Link shifts in Sidon’s grasp so he’s on his back and can look up at the sky. “I think she was calm in a time that was chaotic. Princess Ruto was just…”

“Also chaotic?” Sidon asks.

Link nods. “But he cared about them both, just differently. That’s what I…that’s what I think.”

“That’s all I care about then,” Sidon says. “I care about what you think about yourself and the events of your past, Link. Not anyone else.”

“You always have,” Link says, unable to help but think of Muzu and the other Zora that had stared at him with such suspicion. “It…it’s nice. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

-.-

Link awakens in the dead of night to laughter echoing in his ears. It’s a menacing sound and leaves the hair on his arms and neck sticking straight up as he glances around the island and lake looking for the source. The fire has gone out and on his other side, Sidon is fast asleep. Careful not to disturb him, Link sits up and then eases as silent as he can to his feet. He pulls a dagger from his boot and creeps along the shore, eyes scanning the tree line for any sign of something moving in the dark, but there’s nothing there. Just a nightmare then. Just-

“Ah hah, there you are. I was wondering where you ran off too.”

He startles back as a creature appears before him, tripping back on a thick tree root and falling down as the monster human in shape but not in motion stares down at him. Its face is covered by a heart shaped mask with sharp spikes stabbing outwards from the sides and its eyes glow with a yellow light that sets something aflame in his instincts. He lurches back up to his feet and lunges forward with his dagger. The creature vanishes the moment his knife strikes. Another laugh, this time behind him, but when he turns, the creature from before is nowhere to be seen. In its place is…himself. But wrong.

The monster before him is shaped just like him, but as if he’s been sculpted out of malice and its eyes glow a deep red like the laser of a Guardian. It reaches back and pulls free a sword shaped just like the Master Sword. On instinct, Link reaches for his own, but he finds nothing. Before he can attack, the monster darts forward and wraps a hand around his throat, the dark corruption burning his skin and he tries to jerk away before sinking his dagger into the monster’s arm. It doesn’t do anything at all.

He lashes out with his foot, landing a solid kick that propels the monster back and gets him free of its grip. He turns to run but finds the creature from before hovering in front of him to block his path.

“Do you really think it’s so easy to escape those of us you banished to the shadows? That you could leave us to be alone even as you sought the comfort of others?”

There’s no chance to figure out what to do next, or what to say. Pain explodes at his back as the sword crafted from malice runs him through from behind and he-

Wakes up again.

Gasping and choking for air, he sits up, hand grappling at his own throat and then down to his stomach where he’d seen the sword protruding. Sidon crouches at the lake’s edge filling one of the pans with water and Link watches as he turns and douses it on the remaining embers of the fire. He frowns when he sees Link. He sets the pan to the side and crouches down beside him.

“Are you okay?” he asks, then shakes his head. “Silly question, obviously you’re in distress. Was it a dream?”

Link nods, jaw clenched tight, and then holds his hands up to sign. _“We should leave. Quickly.”_

Sidon nods and together they pack up their camp. Link can’t help the way he keeps glancing around the edges of the fog, feeling more on edge than he ever has here. It infuriates him that his dreams could taint something like this. He can only hope it doesn’t stay that way. Once they’re on the far shore, Link pulls his Sheikah Slate from his hip and activates the Magnesis Rune so he can guide them back to the Korok forest as fast as possible.

As they walk, he finds his hands trembling. Every flash of red on the screen reminds of him of the monster with its red eyes and the malice that had burned his flesh in his dreams as readily as it does in real life. If he thinks, he can remember a similar monster crafted from the Link from then’s reflection, gaining strength as the battle dragged on as if it were learning from every motion the Link from then made. He wonders if somewhere out there, in some pool of water, a similar creature waits for him.

“Here,” Sidon says, forcing them both to stop and then stepping behind Link. “You hold it up and I’ll direct us. I don’t know why but clearly something you’re seeing is causing you distress, so let me do that part, yes?”

Link swallows and nods, holding the Sheikah Slate out and up so Sidon can see it. Oddly, having Sidon at his back helps. He would’ve thought given how his dream ended that having someone behind him would make it worse, but it seems to do the opposite with Sidon. Perhaps…because Sidon is safe. He’s proven that he’s safe over and over again. He’s no monster created from the combination of Link’s imagination and his memories.

The warm sunlight that greets them as they re-enter Korok Forest is a balm on his frayed nerves, but they don’t stay there long, pressing on instead back into the woods and hurrying along to the entrance. It isn’t until he sees their mounts milling about on the path just outside the wood’s entrance that the lost knot of tension leaves him. He throws himself at Epona, wrapping his arms tight around her neck and burying his face in her mane with a rough exhale. She huffs and nibbles at his tunic before releasing it. They stay that way for a long few moments. Sidon doesn’t seem to mind that Link needs time to get his wits about him again and instead sets about re-packing their saddlebags.

Link isn’t all that surprised that given their topics of conversation before he’d slept that his dreams had taken such a turn. But still…they linger with him for far longer than they usually do. Perhaps because as he thinks, he knows where he’s seen that mask before. It sits at his home in Hateno. He’d dug it out of some chest in the ruins of one of the many garrisons around Hyrule Field. Monsters tended to leave him alone when he’d worn it, but it had always left him feeling uneasy.

Now, remembering what sort of creature had once inhabited it, he feels like he needs to bury it once more, or perhaps to destroy it. Even if it is just a remnant of a creature that no longer plagues the world, it is still a reminder. There are some things, he thinks, that are best left forgotten.

“What you said yesterday,” Link says as he pulls himself onto Epona’s saddle. “About keeping…the friends from the past alive by remembering them? Do you think maybe that keeps evil things alive too?”

“Ah…that is an interesting question,” Sidon says. He pulls himself up onto Madwebiisaan’s back and together they turn back onto the trail leading south. “I suppose the answer is yes, but when you think even harder about it…is that perhaps what keeps Ganon coming back? We never forget him and the legacies of terror and chaos he plunges all of Hyrule into over and over again, and so perhaps in that remembrance, we guarantee he will always come back.”

The thought is disturbing. His expression must show his thoughts because when he looks at Sidon, Sidon looks a little helpless.

“I don’t know for sure, it’s just a theory. In the end, none of us really know how the Triforce works, or Calamity Ganon, and if you think about it, it’s a bit of a paradox right?” Sidon says. “If we forget about the horror Calamity Ganon can wreck on our world, we won’t be prepared for when he returns. That doesn’t mean we have to always be on guard of course, but it would be foolish for us all to return to our normal lives and pretend we will never face another struggle like this again. We should always be learning and moving forward.”

“It’s so much to balance…” Link says.

“It is, isn’t it?” Sidon looks ahead towards the military camp by the Sheikah Tower. “Survival is a constant push and pull between relaxing enough to live a fulfilling life but being ready to defend yourself from dangerous threats. But we learn to do it.”

“I’m not learning very fast,” Link says, thinking of how he hadn’t even been able to guide them out of the Lost Woods himself, so overcome by his own fear and the remnants of his dream.

“It’s not a race,” Sidon says. He looks over at Link and smiles. “Besides! I’m here. I’m a great teacher on finding happiness in the middle of a storm.”

Link nods. “You really are.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorite chapters to write. I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you for the continued support. As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. I also have a new Tumblr if you want to check it out - I use the same username/handle

They reach Rauru Settlement, or rather the ruins of it, around mid-morning. Some of the rubble is being cleared by a combination of Goron and Hylian workers, an obvious sign that Zelda has all the intentions of rebuilding it and helping people move back to the areas they’d once inhabited. Seeing the proof of such recovery being possible does help lighten his mood. Calamity Ganon’s return may be a constant, but so too was the ability for all of Hyrule’s inhabitants to continue to survive despite it all.

“What was Rauru like?” Sidon asks. “If you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t really remember,” Link says with a shake of his head. “He was stern. And powerful, I remember that really well. But beyond that, I’ve never had many dreams or anything like that involving him, at least not that I can remember.”

“Have you thought of writing the memories down, perhaps to keep in a royal library?” Sidon asks.

“Is it…selfish if I don’t want to? I don’t even know what all of what I remember is accurate,” Link says.

“I don’t think it’s selfish, no,” Sidon says. “Even if we knew for certain that everything you remembered was correct, I think you’re more than entitled to keep those memories to yourself. You already give Hyrule almost everything. Memories of friendships and things…those don’t have to be shared with anyone you don’t want them to be.”

“I like sharing them with you. It’s…helpful,” Link says.

When he looks at Sidon, he’s blushing again, and the sight of it makes Link’s stomach feel warm with something he has no intention of naming. They continue on their path until they’re far north of Hyrule Castle, and that’s when Link turns them off the path so they can head through the Rauru Hillside instead. There’s no road or path, but it’s easy land to navigate regardless. Their horses plod along as the sun heads higher into the sky.

The castle looks nicer now without the malice and mist covering it, but even from such a far distance it’s easy to see the cracks and crumbling structures of some of the outer towers. From the few times Link has returned, he knows the majority of the castle is still in disarray. After a century of no one inhabiting it but monsters and malice and corrupted Guardians, it’s not exactly a surprise that it’s going to take a long time to rebuild it to its former glory. More than once, Zelda has recalled him before re-opening some long-abandoned basement chamber in case some strong remnant of Calamity Ganon’s will still lurks there.

“Do you want to go to the castle one day?” Link asks.

“One day, yes,” Sidon says. “But that’s what official business is for. That’s not what this trip is, so I don’t mind just passing it by this time around. Forgive me again if I’m over-stepping, but did you truly assault the castle all on your own when you finally faced Calamity Ganon?”

“The castle yes,” Link says. “I’m not going to lie and say it was easy, but the forces weren’t organized so it was easy to just sneak past a lot of them. The castle is so huge, I wouldn’t be surprised if even now there’s still Moblins or Bokoblins hiding out in the deeper dungeons and tunnels. But once I went against Ganon…the others were at my side.”

“Even just having their spirits at your back must have been a great comfort,” Sidon says.

“Yeah, it was,” Link says. “The beast, did you see him? At the end?”

“Yes,” Sidon says. “Once I heard Divine Ruta activate, I made it all the way to the top of Shatterback Point and watched the beast manifest on the field. I…”

When Link looks at him, Sidon is staring down at Madwebiisaan with a frown. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that, really,” Sidon just says. “I just felt so helpless where I was, knowing you were down there fighting for us all and there was nothing I could do to help you.”

Link guides Epona closer so he can knock his elbow into Sidon’s side, making Sidon look at him. “It wasn’t just the former heroes at my back when I was down there you know. It was you, and Yunobo, Jerrin, and Isha too. You four were good friends to me. I knew I had you at my back too, even if it wasn’t in a literal way.”

“I appreciate you saying that, but I didn’t do anything,” Sidon says.

“You did,” Link insists. “Really. You’ve spent the last few days telling me how important is to have friends, and now you’re selling your own friendship short. I…my journey was hard. But knowing I could always go to you and…and feel safe for a little while. That helped a lot.”

“Why is it that when others compliment me, it doesn’t affect me, but when you do, I feel so flustered?” Sidon asks, but Link isn’t sure if he’s meant to hear the question. “Thank you for saying that. It makes me feel better about the way I wasn’t able to help you in your final battle in a more direct way.”

Link nods and lets Epona drift back away from Sidon. They make good progress along the hillside, curving south just past mid-day towards the ruined ancient tech lab. There’s not much at all to see there, just ruins, and it looks as if Zelda hasn’t sent anyone there to start trying to rebuild it, but Link thinks perhaps that’s because of her own ties to the area. She’d spent much of her time there. Perhaps she’s not ready to see it in its current state. There’s not really anything there to scavenge either. Whatever had been there had likely been used when the corrupted Guardians had first gone rogue and torn their way across the landscape.

They sit together on a small cement platform and eat the dried fish Link had saved for them as their horses graze a little ways north on the hill. Further east, he can see the tree and pond where he had recovered one of the memories stored in the pictures on his Sheikah Slate. He nudges Sidon’s side and points towards it.

“There,” he says. “That’s where I had one of my flashbacks and remembered something about myself.”

“Ah, like when you saw Mipha’s statue?” Sidon asks.

“Yeah.”

“How do you tell them apart from your memories as a different Link?” Sidon asks.

“They’re more vivid,” Link says. “And it feels like me, like…there’s a sense that the feelings I’m feeling are mine. I don’t know how to describe it. It is strange though…”

“What is it?”

Link picks apart the last bits of his dried fish and shoves them into his mouth, chewing as he thinks of how he wants to phrase his words. “Sometimes the memories from a century ago feel like me, but I don’t feel like the same person. It’s different then when…when I remember things from different Links. It’s like I know it’s me but…I’ve changed. In a good way I think but still just not the same.”

“It’s not surprising you’d feel differently now,” Sidon says. “And you still don’t have all the pieces, so maybe the things that made you change you just can’t remember. All we are is our memories so it’s only natural that you’d be a bit of a different person when you can’t fully remember everything that made you Link a hundred years ago. No one is expecting you to be the same.”

“Zelda is, I think,” Link says. “I don’t blame her. She remembers things that I don’t so I think when she sees me and talks to me, she expects a certain reaction and when I react differently it surprises her.”

“Is that why you have difficulty connecting with her?”

“Probably.” Link looks up at Sidon. “But that’s probably also why it’s so easy to connect with you. You’ve never treated me like you’re expecting me to behave a certain way.”

And there’s the blush again. Sidon looks away, brushing his hands off against his legs in what seems more like a nervous habit than a productive motion. “I’m glad you feel that way about me. Have you tried explaining how you feel to Zelda?”

“No,” Link says. “But that’s more…when I’m around her I find it harder to talk. I don’t know why. And half the time, I don’t even know what I’m feeling until I have time to sit and think about it myself for a while.”

“Well now you know, so next time you see her, you can tell her,” Sidon says.

Link smiles, his chest feeling light at the thought. “Yeah. I guess I could.”

The conversation prompts him to pull out his Sheikah Slate, searching for the icon that takes him to the new messaging window. After a moment of hesitation, he begins to type.

**_Hello. Sidon and I are almost to Serenne Stable._ **

**_How lovely! I hope you’re both having fun!_ **

Link frowns down at the screen, trying to think of something to say that will be useful, or that Zelda can actually do something with, but nothing comes to mind. After a moment, the screen goes dark the way it does when he doesn’t touch anything for a while. He takes a deep breath and puts it back on his belt. It’s something. He certainly tried.

They clean up the rest of their lunch and get back on their mounts before heading west until they reach the road again. The terrain here is easier, all open green fields and meadows, and no hordes of Bokoblins on horseback to disturb them as there had been before Calamity Ganon. Oddly, the closer they are to the castle, the safer it is. It’s a drastic change from the world Link had grown used to since he’d awoken.

The sun is beginning to set as they approach Serenne Stable, and by the time their horses are taken off to their stables and they’ve made dinner, the fireflies are out in the small wooded area in front of the stable. It isn’t until Link notices Sidon has gone silent beside him on the log they’re sitting on to eat that he realizes Sidon is staring at the fireflies with wide eyes. He shoves the last of his meat and mushroom skewer in his mouth and nudges Sidon’s side.

“They’re fireflies,” he says.

“How do they just glow like that?” Sidon asks.

“I don’t know,” Link says. “Probably the same way the luminous stones glow though, right?”

Sidon gets to his feet and starts to approach them, stopping when they immediately scatter deeper into the woods. Link has to hide his smile at the way Sidon’s shoulders slump. It’s…sort of cute the way Sidon gets so enthusiastic about everything, things that Link is so used to. He stands up and comes to stand beside Sidon.

“I remember um…when I was a kid,” Link starts. “I can’t remember who it was, but she helped me catch the fireflies and we put them in a little jar with some food for them to eat and little holes in the top so they could still breathe. We’d set them on my nightstand and then let them go in the morning.”

“You can catch them?”

“Yeah just…hold on.”

Link takes off his sword and shield, handing them to Sidon so he can move quieter through the grass. As soon as he’s close enough, he traps two of them between his palms, keeping them cupped together as he hurries back to Sidon, grinning as Sidon crouches down so they’re at the same level as Link holds his hands out. He parts his thumbs just enough to reveal the small little bugs as their backsides alternately glow back and forth.

“They’re so pretty,” Sidon says, voice hushed. “It’s like they’re talking to each other with the lights.”

Together, they watch as the little fireflies continue to flash their small lights until finally, Link opens his hands. The two fireflies lift off into the air, buzzing around Sidon’s face and setting his expression alight with the soft yellow light that makes Link think maybe he understands Sidon’s wonder and enthusiasm.

“You’re really pretty too,” Link says, then claps a hand over his mouth when Sidon looks down to meet his eyes. They both stare at each other, eyes wide, and Link watches as a blush rises into Sidon’s cheeks once again. “I. Um. We…uh…bye.”

Link pushes around him and all but flees back towards the stables to purchase their beds for the evening. When Sidon catches up with him, he doesn’t mention what Link had said. There’s still a dusting of a blush on his cheeks though, so obviously it’s still on his mind, but Link’s just grateful he doesn’t bring it up. He isn’t even sure what had made him say something like that in the first place. Of course, he believed what he had said but…

Well, it doesn’t matter.

He isn’t even sure what it is he’s feeling, so there’s no point in troubling Sidon with it all.

-.-

Link wakes early, earlier than he has any right to be up. When he slips out of the stable to get some air, the sky is still stuck in the pre-dawn gray that makes it feel like time isn’t even moving. He slips around to the back of the stable and hops over the fence and walks through the trees to an outcropping of rocks. He sits down facing the cliffs where he knows Dinraal will eventually pass. There’s something soothing about witnessing the dragons make their way across the sky.

They don’t care about the rest of the world. They just glide through the air, heedless of the world beneath them and the tragedies and joys that occur. Well…maybe that wasn’t entirely true. After all, he can remember the malice that had corrupted Naydra on her peak. Perhaps all three really were the manifestations of the Triforce, a reflection of their mortal earthly counterparts. He’d asked around after his encounter with Naydra about the other two dragons that so often crossed the sky.

When he’d been sleeping in the Shrine of Resurrection, Farosh had been absent. For a hundred years, Farosh never emerged from his watery home beneath Lake Hylia, but Dinraal had never suffered any corruption or prolonged absences. And yet, he hadn’t vanished either, even with the destruction of Calamity Ganon. Perhaps that spoke to the fact that the piece of the Triforce that represented power wasn’t inherently evil, but merely was doomed to always be corrupted by the malice of Ganon.

In the end, he doesn’t know enough about the Triforce and its power to really know how it works even if part of it does slumber within him. From the memories he does have, Zelda had struggled to know how to make her own power work, though obviously she had managed it eventually considering how long she was able to contain Calamity Ganon within the castle. All he knows is that even since childhood he’s always been able to work harder and longer than those around him, and even before he’d gained power from the spirit orbs of the Sheikah ancestors, his ability to push his body far beyond normal limits had been apparent.

And then, of course, he could wield the Master Sword.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Sidon’s voice is soft as he steps onto the rock to join Link. Link looks up at him as he sits, grateful that the awkwardness from earlier that night doesn’t seem to have lingered.

“I never sleep for long anyways,” Link says. “But I also wanted to see Dinraal.”

“Oh! One of the dragons crosses through here?”

Link nods. “He won’t come close, but you can still see him. This isn’t…this wasn’t how I was going to cross that item off your bucket list though. He’s really far away. When we see Farosh, I can get us a lot closer.”

“So this is like an appetizer to the main course, hm?” Sidon asks.

“I guess so,” Link says with a smile.

After a moment of hesitation, he shifts closer and Sidon responds by lifting his arm and letting Link tuck himself into Sidon’s side, wrapping his arm around Link’s shoulder and holding him close. It’s a relief to know that this too hasn’t been ruined by his hastily said words. They sit together as the sun begins to rise, and as it does, so to does Dinraal from behind the peaks to the north.

Against the deep blue of the night sky with the gray light of dawn bleeding into something warmer with the rising sun, Dinraal’s white scales seem magnificent. The orange and red light of the magical fire that burns within it ripples from the head down the long length of its body, pulsing with ethereal power as it twists its way across the sky before them. There’s something about witnessing the dragons, even from a distance, that makes Link feel like he’s approaching something more than mortal.

“What Triforce does Dinraal represent?” Sidon asks.

“The Triforce of Power. The one Calamity Ganon corrupted,” Link says.

“How can something so beautiful represent that?”

Link shakes his head. “Power alone isn’t bad. It’s power in the absence of care. That’s what makes Calamity Ganon so terrible.” That much, at least, he knows. It feels like a fact as well-known as the fact that he needed to breathe to live. It’s something that hasn’t ever changed as far as he knows.

“You and he truly are opposites, aren’t you? He doesn’t care for anything but power, and you…you care so deeply about everyone around you,” Sidon says.

It takes Link aback to hear it. So often he hears that he’s selfish, that he takes too long to do things, that he doesn’t smile enough or express how he feels with his words or his facial expressions. But Sidon had never held him to any such standard. He always seemed to know when and how Link tried to express that he cared through his actions or the extra work he provided whenever anyone asked. Even when others merely nodded in thanks, Sidon seemed to understand that _was_ how Link showed he cared. It…means a lot to know his actions are seen the way he wants.

“I don’t mean to change the subject so abruptly, but I fear if I don’t ask now I never will. Perhaps I’m taking a page out of your book and being courageous even when I feel as though I shouldn’t be,” Sidon says. “About what you said…about me being pretty. Do you mean that in a way that’s more than…friendship?”

“I…” Link looks up at Dinraal and wonders how it is that he supposedly has the Triforce of Courage when Sidon’s question leaves him feel anything but courageous. “I don’t know, Sidon. I don’t know what I’m feeling most of the time if I’m honest but I…when I think about how the Link of then felt at peace with Saria, I feel that way about you.”

“Ah…” Sidon doesn’t pull away from, just squeezes his shoulder once. “I believe I may feel about you the way Princess Ruto felt about the Link of then.”

“Well, you haven’t made me any drastically uncomfortable marriage proposals so maybe it’s not quite the same,” Link says, even as his heart races even faster in his chest.

“Yes, I do appear to have more self-restraint than my ancestor did,” Sidon says with a warm laugh. “It is okay that you don’t know how you feel for me yet. I just feel it was best for us to have an open conversation about it instead of just guessing what another was thinking and feeling.”

“Does this change anything for us?” Link asks.

“It doesn’t have to,” Sidon says. “If you decide you care for me as a friend, then I am happy with that. More than anything, you are my most treasured friend, Link. That comes before whatever else we may try to be in the future and will always be true.”

From Sidon, Link knows the words are true. Sidon has never tried to manipulate him or lied to him or given him any reason to think that he wasn’t always going to put their friendship first. He’s reliable. Steady in a way that nothing else in his life has been since he first woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection.

“Thank you,” Link says. “For…for being so good about all of this. I know I’m not really that great at articulating what I’m feeling so it helps when you’re so direct and honest.”

Sidon squeezes him a little closer as Dinraal begins to make his descent out of sight. “Of course.”

-.-

Link has to make a quick stop Gerudo Town for the new bracelets, but once those are packed and within easy reach in one of Madwebiisaan’s saddlebags, they’re back on the road together. It’s odd. Things have most certainly changed between the two of them, but where changes usually leave Link feeling overwhelmed and unmoored, this change makes him feel grounded. His own confusing mess of emotions are out on the table. He doesn’t have to hide anything, and his own uncertainty about not even knowing what it is he’s feeling isn’t being held against him.

They have agreed to exist in the nebulous space of the unknown together.

The sun hasn’t even reached above Mount Drena when the somewhat breezy climate of the plains takes a sharp turn for the cold in the shadow of the mountains. Sidon reaches into the pack for the first of the bracelets and puts it on over his right wrist. He looks ahead on their path and frowns.

“What’s wrong?” Link asks. “Is it too cold.”

“No, I just had a thought is all, about a story from Princess Ruto’s time,” Sidon says. “They said that Zora’s Domain once became entirely covered in ice, freezing Zora and fish alike beneath it and sealing away our King as well.”

“And you survived?”

Sidon nods. “It’s possible for the cold to kill us of course, but when that happened, supposedly it happened so fast that we were all perfectly preserved and when the ice thawed, everyone was fine. Certainly quite a miracle, and we likely wouldn’t have survived if Ganon had decided to take more direct means to eradicating us.”

“I don’t remember much from that,” Link says.

“Ah, Link, I’m not asking you to,” Sidon says. “I share our legends with you because I want you to know things about my people and our history, not because I want you to try and recall a past life to verify anything I say. Our history is our history. Our legends are our legends. You are not a walking guide to all of Hyrule’s history and it would be unfair of anyone to ask you to share anything that you don’t want to.”

“If I can remember anything though, I do want to share it,” Link says.

“I just don’t want anything to cause you unnecessary distress,” Sidon says. He looks uncertain then as they enter the snowfields. Even with the sun shining above them, the cold is biting, and Link doesn’t miss the way Sidon reaches for the second bracelet to slide onto his other arm. “I can’t help but fear I pressured you into remembering and talking about things before and that’s what caused your nightmares.”

Link opens his mouth, but he feels like he doesn’t know how to articulate what he wants to say next. After a moment of hesitation, he waves his hand to get Sidon’s attention and then slowly, as his thoughts catch up with him, he begins to sign.

_“I spoke with you about my memories because I wanted to, and because it helped me feel better about them. I know I was distressed at the time, so maybe you’re worried you pressured me in a time when I was vulnerable, but I promise, it didn’t feel like that at all to me. It felt like a friend trying to help a friend. But I will keep in mind what you say. I won’t push myself to try and remember if I don’t think I’m doing it for me.”_

Sidon nods to show he understands and Link lets out a huge breath, shoulders slumping.

“Thank you for explaining,” Sidon says. “I…value that a lot in our friendship.”

“What do you mean?” Link asks.

Sidon, somehow, manages to frown harder. “Often, because of my status, those around me won’t explain how they really feel. The Zoran monarchy isn’t like the Hylian one. We do not have the same level of power as Hylian monarchs do over our subjects, and most people seem to have no issue speaking their minds to my father. But with me…”

“It’s because they find you attractive,” Link says. “Well. Enough of them to have a fan club.”

The look Sidon gives him makes it apparent that he has little idea of what in the world Link is talking about and Link almost wishes he could take it back.

“Perhaps…I didn’t realize such a thing existed, but yes, that does make more sense,” Sidon says. “After all, my father isn’t a potential suitor for people any longer. I am. That…makes a lot of things shockingly clear, actually, thank you.”

“Is it normal for Zora to take partners of the same gender?” Link asks.

“I suppose so, yes,” Sidon says. “My father didn’t, but his grandmother ruled with another queen. I know that’s not how things work in Hylian monarchy, but with us, it’s not necessarily the bloodline that’s important. The one who rules gets their power from the rest of the Zora more than anything, so as long as an heir is named, and that heir is acceptable to the people than the bloodline will continue.”

“So when you say you’re potentially a direct heir of Princess Ruto…”

“Oh, that part is still true,” Sidon says. “The bloodline for who rules has changed twice in recent memory, but my ancestry line does trace almost perfectly back to her.”

“Hylians don’t really know any of this,” Link says. “At least not the Hylians I’ve met.”

“Most don’t really care from what I understand,” Sidon says. “Our people have always worked together – the Rito, the Gorons, the Hylians. As for the Gerudo, there are only brief skirmishes and dust ups throughout history and almost all of those are tied to Ganon as far as I can tell. Without any war among our groups, there’s no reason for the average citizen to care about how we choose to organize ourselves. They just care that we make great fishers.”

“I…don’t really spend a lot of time around people,” Link says, frowning. “I don’t think I ever have, or at least I can’t really remember.”

“The nature of your power and Zelda’s does leave you both somewhat removed from the average person’s experience,” Sidon says. “It’s like the silverware thing, isn’t it? But on a bigger scale?”

“Yeah,” Link says. “I think that’s a good way of looking at it.”

Whatever Sidon is going to say in response is cut off completely by him gasping instead and pointing ahead on the path where one of the large Tabantha moose stands in relative safety of the bare white trees. “What is that?”

“A Tabantha Moose. If they weren’t so wild, I would’ve gotten one of those for you,” Link says, laughing at Sidon’s look of excitement.

Madwebiisaan stomps his feet and tosses his head and Sidon reaches down to pet his neck.

“It’s okay, I would’ve picked you anyways, I promise,” Sidon says. “Have you ever ridden one of those?”

Link shakes his head. “I’ve ridden an elk before, and a bear, a Lynel for a few seconds, but those were mostly a matter of accidental necessity than they were on purpose. Creatures like that are meant for the wild.”

“They’re quite magnificent to look at though,” Sidon says.

“They are, aren’t they?”

They reach the Snowfield Stable close to noon, or at least that’s Link’s guess because by the time they reach it, it’s begun to snow, and the sun is obscured by clouds. Sidon watches the snow fall from the sky from beneath the coverage of the stable as Link cooks up one of the hot pepper dishes for him. Sidon eats it, and as he does, Link takes in the way his motions are slower and clumsier. At a full canter, he knows he could make it to Rito Village in an hour or two, but he’s not willing to risk such a move with Sidon.

He digs through Madwebiisaan’s saddlebags and finds the last of the ruby bracelets. There’s two left, but the snow doesn’t seem like it’s going to be letting up any time soon, so it’d probably be best if Sidon just put them on now. He hands them off to Sidon as he finishes eating and then heads for the desk where the stablemaster is.

“I’d like to board my horse Epona,” he says. “Or rather, have someone bring her to the Rito Stable by tomorrow morning.”

“We can certainly arrange that,” the stablemaster says.

“Do you have any blankets I could purchase as well? Something big, and thick too,” Link says.

“Let me see what I can find.”

Link is nothing if not resourceful, so by the time Sidon’s finished his food, Link has a blanket and some spare rope and a plan. Sidon looks dubious as Link sits in front of the saddle on Madwebiisaan’s back and pats the space behind him, but climbs up anyways. With a little bit of finesse and a lot of muffled curses, he eventually gets the blanket tucked tightly around the both of them with the rope tying them together and securing his own body heat in with Sidon’s.

“Are you sure this all necessary?” Sidon asks.

“I’m not taking any chances,” Link says. “We need to keep you warm. Now keep you arms wrapped around me and keep talking to me. Tell me some more Zoran legends.”

They set off into the snow again and Link listens as Sidon walks him through different tales of Zoran mythology as Madwebiisaan plods through at a brisker pace than their earlier travel. He listens to the way Sidon speaks. By the time they reach the old village ruins, he can tell Sidon is waning, his weight heavy against Link’s back and his words slurring. He taps his heels against Madwebiisaan’s sides to urge him on a little faster, trying to ignore the way his own heart races with the anxiety that he has perhaps gravely miscalculated how well a Zora can handle the cold.

“Where are we?” Sidon asks.

“It’s the old Tabantha Village,” Link says. “It used to have a lot of Lizalfos and Moblins, but the Rito cleared them out after Calamity Ganon was destroyed.”

Sidon doesn’t respond. Link gives him a moment, until they’ve almost left the village, before he nudges Sidon’s chest. No response. He doesn’t bother wasting any more time trying to get an answer then, instead clicking his tongue and urging Madwebiisaan into a straight gallop. He’s slower than most of his other steeds, but as the terrain angles down, he gathers speed like an avalanche, their combined massive speed helping them plunge straight through the snow.

He wishes Sidon had never told him about the Zora frozen in their domain. It feels a bit like a sick joke now, like history repeating just to get back at him for his failures, and all he can do is hope Madwebiisaan gets them to safety soon. Within the hour, the air starts to warm. He can feel Sidon’s breath against the top of his head, and that more than anything comforts him. There’s definitely something otherworldly about Madwebiisaan, because at no point does he slow down, only thundering ahead like his namesake.

“I guess you really didn’t want to Ganon’s horse, did you?” Link says.

Madwebiisaan tosses his head in answer but doesn’t slow. The thick blanket of snow melts away and gives way to mud, and then grass, and before long, he can feel Sidon stirring at his back. He breathes a heavy sigh and it’s only because of how they’re tied together that he doesn’t lean forward on Madwebiisaan and just collapse with relief.

“Sidon? Are you okay?”

“Mmm…I feel…a little tired,” Sidon says. “Forgive me friend, I must’ve fallen asleep…”

“It was a little worse than that,” Link says.

“Oh?”

Link shakes his head, still too shaken by what had happened to elaborate. Sidon seems to get the point though. His arms shift beneath the blanket and he holds Link tight as if to reassure him that he can move and function just fine. It’s a relief, but Link still feels too keyed up to relax. It isn’t until the Rito Stable is in sight that he feels better, and that’s only because as soon as they reach it, he can undo the rope securing him and Sidon together and spill off Madwebiisaan’s back.

He helps Sidon down. Before Sidon can even remove the blanket, Link all but throws himself into Sidon’s body, face pressing hard against the cool skin of his upper stomach and squeezing him tight. He doesn’t really care about anyone who can see them. He’s used to people thinking he’s behaving oddly, so clinging to a giant Zora Prince is far from the weirdest thing the people at Hyrule’s stables have seen.

“It’s okay, Link,” Sidon says. “I’m fine, really, the cold just slows our blood down. It’s not like you Hylians. I would’ve needed to be out there for far longer before I would have perished. You and Madwebiisaan kept me safe just fine.”

Madwebiisaan snorts, tail flicking hard enough to smack the both of them in what could be irritation or affection. Link imagines the line between the two is very thin for him.

“I’m sorry,” Link says. “I should…” He lets go of Sidon, as reluctant as he is to do so, but only because speaking is far too difficult. _“I should have planned better. I could have gotten you killed because I didn’t think to check with you about what you’d need”_

“You did the best you could, really,” Sidon says. “That trick with the blanket and the robe was quite smart and likely kept me warm enough to keep me safe.”

 _“But what if-_ “

Sidon grabs both of Link’s shoulders, squeezing them. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Link swallows around the lump in his throat and nods. “I know, I just…”

“Get nervous. Anxious. I know the feeling,” Sidon says. “Though I imagine it can come with a lot of baggage from the past too, huh?”

Link nods. “Yeah…”

“Well, why don’t we distract ourselves then hm? I’m sure Madwebiisaan is looking forward to having a nice break.”

“We need him to get to the Warbler’s Nest, but I have to get supplies and things first,” Link says. “And I need to catch some salmon.”

“Fish catching is my skill, so why don’t you leave that to me and go take care of getting us a room for the night, yeah?” Sidon asks. “Meet back here in a half hour?”

“Okay.”

They head into Rito Village together, though Sidon stays at the first pool they come to with salmon, offering a thumbs up and wide grin for reassurance. By the time Link makes his way up the stairs to the Swallow’s Roost, he feels entirely foolish for his panicked reaction once they got to safety. He’s always been good at keeping a cool head in the heat of the moment but…

It’s the same reason he never wanted Sidon to try to fight a Guardian with him. Being responsible for someone else’s life instead of just his own made the adrenaline crash after so much harder because the risk was truly that much higher. Not that he didn’t care about his own life. Of course he did. It’s just he cared about his friends more, the few that he had. Most people he cared about more, really, if he thought about it.

And maybe that _was_ a problem. It went back to what Sidon and Jerrin both said about him being more than his role, and more than just a weapon and tool for Zelda to use. But even knowing all the pieces, and knowing that perhaps the root of these issues was his profound lack of a sense of self that everyone around him seemed to have, none of it helped him actually change for the better.

Change didn’t happen overnight though. Even he knew that.

He sets his own turbulent thoughts aside and finishes gathering the supplies he needs to make Salmon Meunière and heads back down to where Sidon is waiting at the entrance to the village with a net full of fish.

“One of the guards said I could use this if I promised to bring back any leftovers when we come back,” Sidon says as way of explanation.

“Great. We should have plenty,” Link says.

Together, they head back to the stable and with their new supplies, they head back up the trail towards the Warbler’s Nest. It’s nicer to have Sidon at his back without the blanket and rope making things uncomfortable. He leans back into his weight as Madwebiisaan makes his way up the path, looking out over Rito Village as the sun begins to trek down towards the mountain range.

“Vah Medoh makes quite the fearsome guardian,” Sidon says.

Link glances up at the Divine Beast that towers over their heads and the village both. “It makes the place look like a proper nest. It’s…nice.”

“Is the idea of staying in one place actually appealing to you?” Sidon asks.

“Sometimes,” Link says. “Sometimes it’s like…I spend so much time wandering around and bathing in rivers and eating what I can and fighting, that coming back and just resting for a day is nice. Longer than that and I start to feel restless though.”

“I’ll have to teach you how to properly relax then,” Sidon says. “We’ll spend a whole week doing nothing important at all.”

“I’ll probably go crazy, but we can try,” Link says.

And really, spending time with Sidon and just relaxing doesn’t seem all too bad. Half the reason trying to rest on his own feels so bad is because it reminds him of just how alone in the world he is. He tries to imagine what it would be like to have Sidon in his home in Hateno. Or staying with Sidon in the Zora Domain, going out into the wilds during the day but always coming home at night to someone who cares about him and doesn’t mind his quirks.

The thought is certainly appealing.

They arrive at the shrine at Warbler’s Nest and Link frees Madwebiisaan of his saddle and bridle so he can have some time to roam and graze in comfort. Madwebiisaan’s first order of business is to bite at Link’s shirt. Then he heads off with a flick of his tail a little way down the road but still in their line of sight before beginning to graze. With Sidon’s help, he sets up a fire and sets up his cooking utensils. As the fire builds, they de-scale and debone their fish in a way that feels like habit now.

The activity is calming – soothing even. By the time he has the salmon frying in the goat butter with a few herbs and a bit of lemon, the smell of the dish making both of their stomachs growl.

“This is a Rito dish?” Sidon asks.

“Yup,” Link says. “It’s popular here, and with the salmon in the ponds and the lake it’s easy to make. I didn’t realize you’d like cooked fish as much as you do.”

“Zora can eat most things that come from the water raw if we want to, but we have taste buds the way Hylians do so we certainly won’t say no to something fried in butter,” Sidon says. “Dishes made with butter and other fatty foods are actually quite popular when we’re trying to put on blubber if we’re expecting a harsh winter.”

“How do you fare in cold water?” Link asks. After the events of today, he can’t help but think of what’s to come and how he’d planned for Sidon to swim up the waterfall of the River of the Dead to get to up to the Great Plateau.

“Not too bad actually,” Sidon says. “They say we developed the ability to handle cold water thanks to thousands of years ago when the world was covered in a great ocean. We survived deep in the cold waters, though there is also a legend that some of us instead moved up onto land and became the Rito. It’s hard to really know for sure as our mythologies and legends differ so much.”

“So then why did the cold air cause so many issues?” Link asks.

“In cold water, we can float for ages breathing the water itself,” Sidon says. “Breathing air takes more effort, and when it’s cold and dry, it’s harder for us to process so we end up slowing down without a way to easily circulate air to keep our bodies running. Laflat would be the one to ask if you wanted the details. She works closely with our medics. I just remember a little bit from my schooling.”

Link finishes their food and together, they pull it apart while it’s still in the pan and eat it. It’s messy, and their fingers become slippery with butter, but it does something to Link’s insecurities the way Sidon keeps showing him over and over how _not_ bothered he is by the way Link does things. They’re almost done eating when Link notices a Rito take off from one of the many launching perches and begin flying towards them.

As they approach, he can tell that it’s Teba. Teba…doesn’t make him feel the way Revali did. From the outset, he had treated Revali with the same cool politeness as everyone around him, but before long, Revali had turned hostile. Mocking even. Perhaps it had been his own fault for not being more welcoming to friendship, but then…Sidon hadn’t been put off, nor had Mipha. It’s hard to know who’s to blame for the way Revali had felt about him. Regardless, Teba isn’t anything like Revali. Teba reminds him of himself.

Teba lands closer to the shrine and approaches them on foot. “I hope you do not mind my disturbing you. I was told you had extra fish that you’d caught by one of the guards and was hoping I could take it from you now so that you wouldn’t have to rush back before you’re ready. There’s a cooking lesson for the little ones going on tonight. Misa thought that would be a good use for it.”

“Ah yes, of course!” Sidon says, gathering the fish they’d partway prepared and putting them back into the net.

“This is Teba,” Link says. “He helped me fight Vah Medoh. Um…Teba, this is Prince Sidon of the Zora. He helped…”

“With Vah Ruta,” Sidon says, finishing Link’s sentence with ease. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Teba! Anyone who can fight alongside Link against a Divine Beast is a warrior worth knowing!”

“The same to you,” Teba says, his gaze softening a bit as he takes the net from Sidon. “Will you be staying long?”

“We’ll be leaving mid-morning probably,” Link says.

“A shame,” Teba says. “I would have loved for a chance to spar with a warrior such as yourself, Sidon. Perhaps my son and I can visit you at the Zora Domain once his wings are sturdier.”

“You are more than welcome,” Sidon says. “I hope you enjoy the food!”

Teba winces, the expression rare on his normally stoic face. “Considering who the cooks are…well, I suppose there’s only so many ways you can mess up a fish. It was a pleasure to meet you, Sidon, and to see you as well Link.”

As he flies away, Link begins to pack up their things, kicking dirt over onto the fire.

“He seems very nice,” Sidon says. “Calm.”

The words take Link by surprise, and after a long moment of consideration, he thinks the note he hears in Sidon’s voice is…insecurity? “Are you comparing him to Saria and yourself to Princess Ruto?”

When he looks at Sidon, he knows he’s right, because Sidon’s cheeks are flushed a deep red that almost matches his crimson scales. “Not exactly!”

Link walks over to where Sidon sits, taking advantage of the small height advantage he has like this to wrap his arms around Sidon’s head and hold it to his chest in a hug. “You make me feel calm. Not Teba. He’s…I don’t think we’d ever be able to hold a conversation for longer than a few seconds.”

“Ah, I know,” Sidon says, words muffled in the fabric of Link’s shirt. “I didn’t say it was an insecurity that made sense now did I?”

“I suppose not,” Link says. “But there isn’t anyone else in my life you have to be jealous of. There’s…there’s no one quite like you.”

After a beat of hesitation he bends down and presses his lips to the top of Sidon’s head in a short kiss. Sidon wraps his arms around his waist in response. They stay there until the sun finishes setting behind the mountain peaks and only then do they part long enough to head back to Rito Village.

-.-

His dreams plague him again. Not memories this time, purely just nightmares. He dreams of the reservoir covered in ice with Sidon beneath, trapped like any old fish, and he beats at the ice desperately trying to break it. With each layer he peels back, he only leaves himself in an increasingly deeper and colder pool of water. Sidon’s image gets lost in his own reflection, and his own reflection grows increasingly darker until finally, as he sinks his fingers into the melting ice to scoop more away, a hand slick with burning malice wraps around his wrist and pulls him down beneath the ice.

The iciness of the water beneath the reservoir shocks him, the burn of malice clawing up his arms blending in with the burn of ice against his skin. It’s the same figure as before, a mirror image of himself made of malice with glowing red eyes, and no matter how hard he fights, he can’t seem to get away as they sink deeper into the water. He kicks hard into the monster’s stomach, but his foot just sinks into the thick malice and he opens his mouth to scream and inhales water instead.

But even as he chokes, he doesn’t waken, and he doesn’t die. Instead he’s left in agony, too overwhelmed to fight as the malice slides over his skin and seeps into his mouth and nose and covers his eyes, choking and blinding him until finally he awakens.

He rolls onto his side, coughing and gagging on nothing as his body tries to remember where he is. Across the room, he hears Sidon stir. The moment a hand touches his shoulder he jerks away, skittering back on his hands and feet until his back hits his bed, eyes squeezing shut tight as he inhales over and over. It isn’t until his breathing finally slows that he becomes aware of Sidon humming. Slowly, he opens his eyes and watches as Sidon looks out one of the large windows towards the moon, lips moving to bring some sort of distinction to the melody he hums.

It sounds familiar. Somehow. He can’t quite place it, but he knows that’s not why Sidon is doing it. It’s just meant to be soothing, something for him to anchor himself to and drag himself back to the safety of reality. It isn’t until Sidon’s on his sixth repetition of the melody that Link reaches out to nudge Sidon’s leg with his foot. Sidon stops and looks over at him as Link holds up his hands.

_“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”_

“It’s okay,” Sidon says. “Nightmares get the best of us all.”

Link chews on the inside of his cheek, foot tapping against the ground. _“What were you humming?”_

“Oh, it’s a lullaby,” Sidon says. “Mipha used to sing it to me when I couldn’t sleep and kept splashing in the pools because I was restless. I’m not sure where it came from though.”

_“It sounds familiar.”_

“Good familiar?”

Link nods. _“Can you hold me?”_

Sidon smiles and nods right back at him. “Of course? Do you think we can both fit in my bed? I can sing it for you until you fall asleep if you’d like, even if you just want to sleep in your own bed.”

Link answers by getting to his feet and all but stumbling over to him. Sidon catches him and in one swift motion, picks him up and carries him over to his larger bed. It takes some maneuvering, but Sidon is more than happy to cradle Link close to his front with his own back jammed up against the room’s wall so they can both fit.

This time, Sidon only gets through two repetitions of the melody before he’s fast asleep once more.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever notice how the Lord of the Mountain has two faces and both faces have the same eyes as Majora? I think about that a lot...
> 
> Anyways heres the next chapter. I know I haven't replied to comments on the last chapter yet - I will soon I promise! I actually suffered a really major injury this week and haven't had time to do much of anything and I'm hoping it'll get better in the next few weeks. I'm just in a lot of pain atm. 
> 
> I can be found on Tumblr under the same username if you'd like. I'm not super active yet but I'm starting to be! And chapter 9 is a few hundred words from completion and I'm going to start on chapter 10 today. Thanks for continuing to support me!!

“So your dreams.”

Sidon’s voice shocks him out of his mid-morning stupor where’d he’d been all but slumped over onto Epona’s neck dozing. While he’d slept easy the rest of the night, he’d still insisted they stick to his schedule that he’d set for them, more than willing to nap in the saddle knowing Epona wouldn’t let him fall on his face. He straightens up in the saddle, glancing at Sidon once before turning back to the road ahead.

“What about them?

“They’re obviously disturbing you lately,” Sidon says. “And while I appreciate you saying it’s not my fault, it’s clear there’s a pattern between our conversations and your distress. I don’t mean to be patronizing I just…”

Link can’t really deny that they have been frequent. But the cause…that he can’t really pin down, because just talking to Sidon about things he thinks about doesn’t seem like an actual cause. Maybe it’s less talking to Sidon and more just talking about things in general.

“I haven’t ever talked to anyone about the things I talk to you about,” Link says. “Maybe this is just what happens when I start thinking about all of this.”

“Are you saying you haven’t thought about it before now?”

“Not really.” Link runs his fingers through Epona’s mane, tugging chunks of it up to twist between his fingers as he thinks. “When I’m on my own, I don’t think about much of anything, I’m just thinking about…moving. Hunting. Surviving. Finding shrines.”

“That sounds exhausting.”

“Thinking about emotional things like all of this takes more work than that stuff does,” Link says. “I don’t like the nightmares. But I don’t think they’re avoidable either.”

It’s a depressing thought. Regardless, he feels that it must be true considering just how much there is underneath the basic drive to survive and gets stronger. He wonders how Links of previous ages coped with the oppressive press of memories that they couldn’t easily pick apart and determine what was there’s and what was someone else’s. Perhaps they didn’t. After all, they all knew the legend of the whole world flooding because the Link of then hadn’t returned to defeat Ganon when he’d re-emerged barely a decade after his initial defeat.

Had that Link given up? The Link wandering the world without Saria?

The thought is chilling and makes him even more grateful for Sidon’s presence at his side. Beside him, Sidon is still silent, perhaps contemplating his words. He doesn’t mean to depress Sidon in any way, but he doesn’t think Sidon would appreciated a lie that he wasn’t going to have nightmares again, or that the topics of their conversations weren’t going spur such dreams to happen in the future.

“I meant what I said earlier. I want to remember certain things for myself and I’m aware that will make me dream of unpleasant things,” Link says. “And I think…talking about things I feel in general will do the same.”

“Is life truly that sad for you that it creates such terrible nightmares?” Sidon asks.

Link frowns. “That’s not…I didn’t say that. I…” He glowers down at the tangled mess he’s made of Epona’s mane. “I’m. Happy. I think. I don’t know what that feels like, I don’t know what _any_ of the things I feel are supposed to be called but I don’t think my life is sad. Don’t put that on me.”

“I apologize,” Sidon says. “I don’t mean to cause you further distress.”

He doesn’t have a response for that, so he doesn’t say anything at all. It bothers him though, that Sidon heard what he said and took it to mean that he thinks his life is miserable or depressing to live. Struggling doesn’t mean his life is sad. He’s struggled since as long as he can remember, and he knows the people of Hyrule have struggled just as much, if not more, and he can’t accept the idea that his whole life is…sad.

But for some reason, Sidon thinks it is. Something in what he has told Sidon the last few days has made Sidon think so much of his life is depressing or oppressive. There has to be a reason for it. He knows Sidon isn’t patronizing. He knows also that Sidon doesn’t think he’s weak or incapable of bearing his burdens just fine on his own.

“Can you…explain?” Link asks. “Why is it you think my life is sad?”

Sidon sighs and when Link looks over at him, he looks as though he’s the one in distress. “I don’t mean it as though it’s something that’s your fault, I want to make that clear. It just saddens me that it seems that you’ve been chased by a rather oppressive feeling of loneliness in every lifetime, including this one. And talking about your lives makes you distressed. If I put those two things together…it seems to me as though you’ve had a hard go at things.”

Link’s nose wrinkles up as he considers what Sidon is saying. “I don’t…I haven’t. It’s just life.”

“It’s not though, Link. That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Sidon says. “What’s normal for you isn’t normal for everyone else, and I don’t mean not wanting to talk, or not liking silverware, or eating with your hands. I mean feeling as though you cannot burden others with your presence, or feeling as though you are a weapon meant for only one purpose. When you talk of your friends from the past, there’s so few of them, and the feelings you have towards them come tinged with sadness. I just want you to…I don’t know how to say any of this without making it sound as though I pity you.”

“It’s a little bit late for that,” Link says, but he isn’t really bitter about it. “This is the only life I’ve ever known.”

“And it’s _wrong_. It’s wrong that so many people for so many years have made you feel as though you’re doomed to be alone,” Sidon says.

“That’s not…completely true,” Link says. “There’s…there’s some memories where I know I had a lot of friends but those were times when I wasn’t expected to be a hero.”

“I’m glad you had those,” Sidon says. “And I am hoping that perhaps you can live a life like that now with Calamity Ganon gone.”

It’s wishful thinking. Even now, he can’t quite shake the impression the man in Tarrey Town had left on him. The man had just said what Link is sure many people were thinking. Why were they risking their lives to clear out monsters and malice when there was a perfectly good legendary hero whose purpose was just that? He understood why Sidon and Jerrin both thought he was more than that.

“I want to,” Link says. “I just don’t know if that’s realistic. I will…try not to burden you in the future with my thoughts as I try to work through them. Making you feel sad is the last thing I want to do.”

Sidon gives a frustrated sigh and Link screws his eyes shut tight, wishing not for the first time and certainly not the last that he knew what it was he was supposed to say to keep people happy.

“I want you to keep sharing things with me,” Sidon says. “I’m just trying to explain that these things you think are normal are not and that you deserve better. It means the world to me that you feel as though you can share these thoughts with me and the last thing I want to do is make you think that it’s a burden to listen to you or help you.”

“I need to think about this,” Link says. “I don’t…this is a lot.”

“That’s fine,” Sidon says. “Take your time.”

They reach Kolami Bridge and Sidon tugs on Madwebiisaan’s reins to bring him to a halt. Confused, Link does the same and turns back to look at him.

“Do you need a break?” he asks.

“That’s not a bridge,” Sidon says, pointing ahead. “That’s some sticks.”

Link looks back at the bridge, frowning and then back to Sidon. “It’s fine. I’ve traveled over this a ton, and even fought monsters on it. You’ll be fine.”

Sidon hadn’t had any issue trusting Link’s judgement up until now, so he’s surprised at the way Sidon shakes his head. “Is there a different way we can go?”

“We could backtrack through the Tabantha Snowfield,” Link says. “But I don’t think that’s a smart idea. Here.”

Link climbs off of Epona and pushes her hindquarters with one hand towards the bridge. She hits him with her tail but goes, trotting across the bridge without complaint until she reaches the other side and circles behind a boulder before setting in to graze on the grass there. Link helps Sidon off Madwebiisaan and shoves him next. Madwebiisaan tosses his head but obeys, heading across the bridge with minimal issue. He only stops once in the middle at a particularly hard gust of wind before continuing on his way, proving again to Link that he’s much more intelligent than the average horse.

“Okay, let’s go,” Link says. He grabs Sidon’s hand in his and tugs him along.

Sidon goes, but he can tell it’s with great reluctance from the way he grips Link’s hand so hard he can feel his blood circulation cutting off.

“I didn’t realize you were afraid of heights,” Link says.

“I’m not,” Sidon says. “I’m afraid of bridges that don’t look like they can hold a single person let alone horses. Hylians are mad.”

“You’re scared of heights that are above land,” Link says.

“I’m not…okay perhaps I am afraid of heights,” Sidon says. “But I don’t mind when there’s railings!”

Sidon continues to rant and Link smiles to himself, happy that he’s been able to distract him so well as they continue their trek across the bridge. Once they’re on the other side, Sidon falls silent. Link looks up at him expectantly and watches as a slow blush creeps over Sidon’s cheeks.

“All safe now,” Link says.

“You appear to be correct,” Sidon says, looking sheepish.

“Don’t worry, we all have things we’re afraid of,” Link says.

“You don’t,” Sidon says, and now he just sounds petulant and Link can’t help the way he laughs in response.

“You know that’s not true,” Link says. “Come on, we’re almost to the Great Fairy Fountain.”

That seems to perk Sidon back up and he climbs back onto Madwebiisaan’s back without further complaint. In a way, Link is almost grateful for the whole ordeal. Their conversation had been far too heavy and serious. It was the type of conversation he hated having, the ones that made him avoid Zelda, because he couldn’t think fast enough to respond appropriately. And really…Sidon _had_ brought up things he hadn’t considered before.

He doesn’t want to be rushed into saying something that isn’t true because he feels like he has to respond. If he thinks about other people’s lives, he supposes Sidon’s perspective makes sense. No friends outside Sidon, Isha, and Yunobo. No family he could even remember. No festivals or holidays, no real time spent relaxing with friends the way he sees some of the townspeople do in Tarrey Town and Hateno both. While he doesn’t really feel like he’s lacking anything, he can see objectively that he is.

But that doesn’t feel true either. Being with Sidon the last few days, being able to share a bed with him, be held by him, sit and eat and talk together, it’s all filled him with a feeling of contentment and the thought of no longer having that when they’re done with this journey…it does make him sad. Even if they decide to try and be in a romantic relationship together, he won’t be living with him. And knowing his own issues, he knows he’ll struggle to stay in one place anyways and he’ll always want to roam, but if he thinks about a world where he didn’t have Sidon at all it’s not so hard to see why it is Sidon thinks his life is…sad. At the same time though, he’s never been good at accepting pity.

Whether that’s tied to his driving and incessant need to _not_ be a burden to anyone around him and to instead be the one unmovable person for everyone to rely on or something else he doesn’t know. It’s a little foolish he thinks to still cling to the idea that he was the person to stand his ground and not move when faced with Calamity Ganon. He still doesn’t remember how exactly he’d ended up dead and in the Shrine of Resurrection as a last-ditch effort, but the fact that he did proves that he had never been the unbreakable shield he had wished to be.

“I failed, didn’t I? The first time…” Link says.

“Hm? What do you mean?” Sidon asks.

“When-“

He’s interrupted by the ground beginning to shake and the boulders in front of them groaning and trembling. Without a moment of hesitation, he throws himself off Epona and draws his sword as before them, the boulders begin to shift and slide together until a Stone Talus looms above them. He throws himself at the creature, pulling himself up its side by one arm and then kicking himself up further to the top of its head where the black crystal is. He blinks when he sees Sidon from not so far below as he balances on the beast’s head.

Sidon draws his spear and Link has enough of a warning to duck as he hurls it and it plunges into the black crystal. The crystal cracks and the Stone Talus shakes as the cracks continue to spider-web across the surface of the crystal, faster and faster. Link grabs the handle of the spear and yanks it out with one hand before slamming his own sword into the crystal with as much strength as he can muster one handed, squeezing his eyes shut tight as it shatters and pieces fly back and slice his face. He throws the spear away as the Stone Talus begins to crumble so he doesn’t land on it on accident.

In the end, he doesn’t even hit the ground. Sidon catches him as the Stone Talus turns to dust around them, showering them in rock and dusty smoke alike. Link stares up at him, eyes wide. Sidon just grins and shifts Link to one arm so he can offer him a thumbs up with his free hand.

“Not so bad at fighting, am I?” he says as he lets Link down.

“I should try that more often,” Link says. “That would end those battles a lot quicker…”

They approach the rubble together and Link crouches down to sift through it, revealing hunks of amber and ruby and even a diamond. Sidon stares at him with side eyes as he hands the gems over.

“Are you sure I can have these?” Sidon asks.

“Yeah,” Link says. “I don’t need them. Maybe you can make something out of them when we go to the Kara Kara Bazaar.”

“But they…Link these are valuable,” Sidon says.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Link says. “You can keep them like you keep the ancient spear.”

Sidon carries them over to Madwebiisaan and begins to place them in his saddlebags, though he still looks a little uncertain about it as he does so. Once they’re back on their horses, Link leads them towards the Sheikah Tower but then branches off to the left to the cliffs that are on the opposite side of the tower to head towards the Great Fairy Fountain there. It’s tricky to guide their horses around the steep rocks but it’s still easier than having Sidon try to climb. Epona refuses to go any further once they’re halfway up, so Link dismounts.

“I can climb fine,” Link says. “Madwebiisaan should be able to make it up the path. He’s bigger.”

Madwebiisaan tosses his head and response and they continue on again. More than once, Link has to go ahead and chart a path for the Madwebiisaan to take, but they make steady progress regardless. Once they’ve reached the same level as the fountain, Link helps Sidon off Madwebiisaan. They continue the rest of the way around the rocks and boulders on foot and finally enter the little clearing where the fountain is.

Link glances back at Sidon, grinning as he watches Sidon’s eyes go wide as he takes in the sight of the brightly colored and thick petals of the fountain and the pool of water that ripples with the slight breeze in the center. When Sidon rushes forward, he snorts and follows after him, watching as Sidon comes up short of the edge of the petals.

“I got too excited,” Sidon says. “Can I…can I touch it?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Link says, stepping up beside him.

Together, they both reach out and touch the petals in front of them, pressing on the thick but malleable material that makes them up. Sidon frowns and Link watches as his claws slide out at the tips of his fingers before he rakes them across the surface of the petals with a gentle touch. He retracts his claws and pokes at them some more.

“These don’t feel like normal petals at all,” he says.

“That’s because they aren’t,” Link says. “I’m not…totally sure what they’re made out of if I’m honest. Everything about the Great Fairies has never made much sense to me.”

“In what way?” Sidon asks.

“They all asked for rupees before they helped me, but as far as I know they can’t leave their homes, and the space in the pools is…nice, I guess, but I don’t see how they’re able to go spend rupees anywhere,” Link says.

“Wait, you’ve been inside?” Sidon asks, grabbing the edge of the pool and peering over the edge. The water is too dark for either of them to see in though.

“Uh yeah…when they upgrade my equipment sometimes they pull me underwater and the water glows and then my armor is stronger,” Link says. “Like I said, I don’t really get it.”

“Have you ever asked them?” Sidon asks.

“Ah well…they aren’t really all that open about things like that,” Link says. “It’s hard to get a straight answer about anything from them, but it is on your list so we can talk to her. Kaysa’s the nicest so that’s why I thought we should come here.”

“How do we talk to them?”

Link steps around Sidon and heads up the small path to stand before the pool of water. The moment he steps onto the platform, the ground begins to tremble and then all at once, Kaysa emerges, flinging her pink hair back and spraying them both with water before she settles on the edge.

“If it isn’t my favorite wanderer- oh. Oh my.” Kaysa turns to look at Sidon, picking Link up in one hand and dropping him to the side as she turns to face Sidon head on. “Hello there.”

It takes everything in him not to laugh at the way Sidon’s mouth drops open and his eyes go wide as he stares up at Kaysa. “H-Hello, my lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh darling, the pleasure is all mine, the last time I saw a Zora was oh…I can hardly even remember but it’s been _far_ too long,” Kaysa says. She reaches out to grab Sidon next, lifting him up with one hand and placing him where Link had been standing moments before, leaning down to examine him. “You’re royalty aren’t you? I can smell it.”

“Smell it?” Sidon asks.

“She can smell lots of things apparently,” Link says, smiling when she shoots him a withering look.

She drops it a moment later and reaches out to push on his forehead with one of her fingers. “You’re a cheeky thing, aren’t you? But yes, us fairies can tell all manner of things from the smell people give off. But that’s neither here nor there. This is the first time since our darling Link has brought a friend to us, so I simply _must_ ask what the occasion is.”

“Oh, I’m traveling all over Hyrule to experience new things!” Sidon says, his tone taking on his usual excitement and zeal. “I have a list and everything, and being able to meet and speak with one of you was one of the things I wanted to do! You’re just legends to the Zora, but Link told me you were real so I’ve been wanting to find the time to speak with one of you since then.”

Link frowns. The first time he’d told Sidon of the Great Fairies, they hadn’t even beaten Vah Ruta yet. Just how long had Sidon been planning such a trip?

“Well, we were slumbering for quite some time,” Kaysa says. “At least five hundred years for me, but I think for Tera it was nearly fifteen thousand, the poor dear. She ended up in the belly of a great beast that ate her home thinking it was a regular old plant. Truly tragic.”

“So that’s why I found her in the skeleton of one of the Leviathans,” Link says. “I didn’t realize your homes could be moved.”

“They can’t, normally. Leviathans were just quite large,” Kaysa says. “But it’s been a long time since the Leviathans last wandered Hyrule.”

“It’s rumored our patron, Lord Jabu-Jabu, is the Leviathan located in the Hebra Mountains, though no Zora has ever been able to confirm that given the cold temperature of the region,” Sidon says. “But wait…you said fifteen thousand years…”

“I did, didn’t I?” Kaysa says, holding a finger up to her lip and biting at it in what Link assumes is meant to be a coy move. “It’s impolite to ask a lady her age though, you know.”

“Ah yes, of course, I would never do such a thing,” Sidon says with a quick bow. “I just wonder if you could perhaps help Link if he…” He glances over at Link. “Sorry, I don’t mean to bring things up without your permission.”

“It’s fine,” Link says. He knows exactly where Sidon was going with words. “I can remember things sometimes, of past Link’s. I think Sidon is saying that perhaps you could help verify if certain things in my memories were real or just…just dreams.”

Kaysa frowns, her usual theatrics falling away and giving way to genuine sadness instead. “Unfortunately no, I’m sorry. Though we do have great power at our disposal, our locations have only ever been moved by great cataclysmic forces and events, and we are tied to these areas. Sometimes, we remain entirely closed off from the world. We simply aren’t truly aware of the events that befall this land.”

“Doesn’t that get lonely?” Sidon asks.

It’s the perfect opening for her to turn the conversation into something borderline inappropriate and Link braces himself for the change, but instead, Kaysa just shakes her head.

“Not really. We often are visited by various heroes and sages throughout time, and even the occasional travelers. And, of course, we can communicate with each other as well so even when she was in the belly of that dreadful beast, Tera had us to keep her company. Though she changes her mind on whether that was a blessing or a curse depending on the day,” Kaysa says with a laugh. “Don’t you two worry your handsome little selves about us.”

“Thank you for taking the time to chat with us,” Sidon says. “I have really learned so much from you. I appreciate it.”

“Well, if you ever want to thank me in another way, you know where to find me,” she says with an over-dramatic wink and a laugh as Sidon begins to flush almost as deep as his red skin.

Before Sidon can sputter out a suitable response, she disappears beneath the water again. For a moment, Sidon just stares at where she disappeared. It isn’t until Link steps up onto the platform and gentle shakes his arm that he startles out of his shock.

“She’s…really something else isn’t she,” he says.

“I can leave you two alone for a little while if you’d like,” Link says, grinning when Sidon’s eyes go even wider.

“No thank, please…no thank you,” Sidon says.

Link can’t help but laugh a little then as they head back to find Madwebiisaan. “I’m not used to seeing you flustered.”

“I’m not. Used to people being so forward,” Sidon says. “I am sorry, by the way, for bringing up your memories without asking first. I was just surprised at how old they are.”

“Me too,” Link says. “But even if they were able to give me some answers about things I remember or dream about, I don’t know if I’d really spend that much time around them. I struggle with…people like that.”

“People like what?” Sidon asks.

Link helps Sidon back up into Madwebiisaan’s saddle before taking a hold of Madwebiisaan’s reins and leading them back down the rocky path as he thinks. “I guess…I know they aren’t attracted to me for real, but that sort of behavior freaks me out a little I think.”

“Does it freak you out when I do it?” Sidon asks. “Or I guess, if I were to do it.”

“I don’t think it would,” Link says, glancing back over his shoulder at Sidon. “But then, I don’t really see you ever acting the way they do.”

Sidon smiles. “Yeah, good point.”

Once they return to Epona, Link swings into her saddle and they head the rest of the way down the mountain together. The sun is beginning its trek towards the horizon when they reach the Tabantha Bridge Stable and when Link checks with the candle that sits on the stable clerk’s desk marking the time, he sees it’s just four in the afternoon. He doubles back to where Sidon waits, still sitting on Madwebiisaan’s back.

“It’s a little early to stop, but if we keep going we’re going to have to camp outside,” Link says. “We won’t make it to the next stable in a reasonable amount of time.”

“That’s okay,” Sidon says. “Satori Mountain is nearby, right? That’s where the Lord of the Mountain is.”

Link nods. “If it shows up. It doesn’t always.”

“Shall we make camp where it normally appears? It would be nice to see that, even if I can’t see the Lord of the Mountain himself,” Sidon says.

“Yeah, that works,” Link says.

They continue on their way, the craggy and mountainous terrain giving way to the odd structures of the Seres Scablands as clouds roll in from the west, obscuring the sunlight and cooling the air.

“I never realized how much Hyrule’s landscape could change,” Sidon says, eyes on the odd mushroom like rock formations. “There’s nothing like this near Zora’s Domain or any of the waters we frequent.”

“Were you ever this far west?” Link asks.

Sidon shakes his head. “No. The only real water source is where Rito Village is, and while we can go quite some time without being in the water, it’s not sustainable to live far away from a river or lake.”

“Is that…you haven’t really done much swimming since we left Zora’s Domain,” Link says.

“It’s fine,” Sidon says. “I soaked in the waters when I was catching the fish in Rito Village, though the next time we find some a nice lake I wouldn’t mind spending some more time there. I’d let you know if it was something you had to be worried about.”

As they make their way across Jeddo Bridge, Link pulls out his Sheikah Slate to check the map, going back over the route he had planned for them and letting out a breath of relief. There’s plenty of places for Sidon to stop if he needs along the way. It assuages the fear and anxiety that he’d made yet another miscalculation that could’ve endangered Sidon’s life. By the time they reach the base of Satori Mountain, the sun has almost set completely.

“Is it safe to travel up the mountain in the moonlight?” Sidon asks.

Link nods. “Most of the pathways up are smooth and clear. It’s not until we’re almost at the top that things might get a little difficult, but Epona and Madwebiisaan won’t hesitate to let us know if they don’t want to go any further.”

As if to agree, Madwebiisaan tosses his head once more.

“You know, I really am starting to think he might be more than a horse,” Sidon says.

“I still can’t quite figure out how he’s been trained to be a warhorse when there’s no records of anyone owning him,” Link says. “It…maybe there’s some truth to what you said about him being an immortal horse.”

“Even if he is, I think it’s clear he has no intention to harm either of us,” Sidon says.

“Yeah,” Link says. “He could’ve hit me in the head all the times I’ve slept in his stable or against his side. I…guess it doesn’t matter who he is or where he came from, just as long as we’re allies and friends now, right?”

That earns him a full-on whinny in response and Link looks at Sidon, both of their faces somewhat shocked by the display.

“Point made,” Sidon says after a moment.

“I guess so.”

It makes him think about what Jerrin said, about Ganon’s influence never being fully gone. But…it was, wasn’t it? If Madwebiisaan truly was the horse of Ganon in some long-ago age, he’d managed to change from a terrifying war horse capable of bearing the power and strength of Ganon to a horse more interested in wandering the plains and helping the very person he’d been bred to kill. Did that not mean it was possible to change and grow? For the earth and the people who lived on it to be purged of Ganon’s influence?

Frowning, he pulls his Sheikah Slate free yet again. It takes a while to formulate his thoughts, but eventually he figures out what it is he wants to say and sends it off to Zelda with the new messaging function.

**_Calamity Ganon’s influence in the land is still capable of reanimating dead Guardians. Jerrin says it’s because his influence can poison the land and spread through the soil because of how long his power was awake. Do you think there is a way for the two of us to stop it?_ **

He isn’t expecting an answer. They’re almost to the mountain peak, and judging by the position of the moon, it’s only a couple hours until midnight. But perhaps like him, Zelda also has trouble sleeping, because it isn’t long at all before the Sheikah Slate chimes and his screen is filled with a typed response.

**_I have been looking into it for the last few weeks actually. I didn’t want to bring it up until we next spoke face to face, but since you asked, yes, it should be possible for us to stop it but we will need to visit the dragons and their respective shrines if the Sheikah texts I was able to dig up are accurate. It’s a project for another day. Don’t worry about it yet. Enjoy your time with Prince Sidon, okay?_ **

The paragraphs they’ve both typed are more words than he thinks they’ve exchanged since Zelda first woke up after they sealed Calamity Ganon away for real. It’s heartening to see. Perhaps this will make it possible for them to communicate better together. He’s starting to think that at least when it comes to him, Zelda struggles to speak just as much as he does. No doubt it is a remnant of whatever sits in their shared past that he himself cannot yet remember, something that she still struggles with.

It’s a thought that he thinks should worry him. After all, if he were reading the situation right, it meant that perhaps Zelda carried some burden about what happened to him. He considers if that would change how he felt, if it would make him angry or furious with her if she were to have somehow caused his initial death. It’s hard to imagine it would. From what he can remember, he knows it’s her fault he couldn’t access the shrines. That piece of the puzzle alone had frustrated him for days once he’d remembered it, but the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t help but sympathize.

After all, she had struggled to come into her own power. Perhaps she didn’t want to be overshadowed by him, and while he’s sure many people would hear such a thing and hold such an emotional response against her, he can’t find it in himself to do the same. Everything has been hard since he woke up. He can’t imagine it had been any easier back then.

He’s jolted out of his thoughts by a sudden flash of light that makes both of their horses stop as they shield their eyes. When Link opens his, he can see a faint teal light reflecting down the rock faces on either side of the path they’re on, and he grins when he looks over at Sidon and then holds a finger to his lips to indicate he should stay quiet.

 _“It’s the Lord of the Mountain,”_ he signs. _“Dismount, and follow me.”_

Sidon nods, eyes wide with wonder. Link doesn’t think it’ll ever get old, seeing that expression on Sidon’s face. It’s turning experiences he’s gotten used to into something else entirely, something to be appreciated instead of glossed over. Together, they strip their noisier equipment off and leave it at Epona and Madwebiisaan’s hooves before creeping further down the path. Mist rolls in from the pond ahead, and he hears the familiar chime of Blupees hopping around as they often do when the Lord of the Mountain is present.

The rock faces give way to expose the clearing at the top of the mountain, the large cherry blossom tree rustling in the wind and scattering pink petals across the pond and grass as the moon shines bright overhead. Together, they crouch in the grass and watch as the Blupees race around, leaving trails of blue dust that fades within seconds. They don’t have to wait long for the Lord of the Mountain to show.

Link’s never seen it from this angle. He’s actually only seen it once before, and that had been from the side when he’d been up by the tree. From this angle, as it approaches the pond under the cover of fog, he can see that it doesn’t have just one pair of eyes but two, each sitting beneath the glowing golden wreathe-like horns that rise from its head. It pauses at the shoreline, then turns to face them both head on. Link expects it to flee then. The last time he’d seen it, it had fled the moment it had sensed them, but perhaps Sidon’s presence has made it…curious.

“Don’t move,” Link whispers, but it’s too late because Sidon’s already moving.

Sidon steps out of the shadow of the crevice and approaches the small pond as the Lord of the Mountain stares at them both with its eerie sets of eyes. It blinks as Sidon steps into the water. Around them, the Blupees scatter. After a moment of hesitation, Link creeps around to the other side of the shoreline so he can keep them both in view, but the Lord of the Mountain doesn’t seem interested in him in the slightest.

Staring at its eyes, Link can’t help but remember the masked creature from his dreams. They contain the same glow, but instead of the menacing and chilling effect he remembers from his dreams, he feels oddly at ease. Until it turns its head further. The second set of eyes chill him to his core.

_“Do not be afraid. We are together now.”_

The voice is odd, like a deep chime that echoes around the mountain. Sidon startles back, coming closer to Link, as if he too has now noticed the complete different feelings each set of eyes brings forth.

“Who is together?” Sidon asks.

The Lord of the Mountain tilts its head. _“The creature once sealed in the mask you fear. We are together. He is not alone any longer.”_

Link swallows his own fear and steps away from Sidon, stepping into the shallow pond so he can look into both pairs of eyes. It’s odd, how familiar they feel. Perhaps this is why it had run from him when it had noticed his presence, for if it stayed, the familiarity wouldn’t be something they could ignore.

“I don’t remember him, not really,” Link says.

 _“We are like you. We both have great power, but he was left alone for far too long in the dark,”_ it says. _“I found him again though, and now we are bound together so he will never be alone again. He has no desire to create destruction the way he once did.”_

“It doesn’t feel that way when I look in his eyes,” Link says, gaze shifting to the eyes that the moment he looks in them, fill him with a sense of dread and danger.

 _“You think thousands of years of pain can be undone so quickly?”_ The Lord of the Mountain shakes its head, scattering blue and gold dust onto the surface of the pond. _“You are lucky.”_

“You think I don’t know loneliness?” Link asks.

_“Not like Majora and not like me.”_

The name makes something in Link recoil, and he looks instead to the other side of its face, to the eyes that don’t spark such fear. “And who are you?”

 _“I am the one who let our souls be sealed away by those who wished to contain our powers. I have undone that mistake,”_ it says. _“You do not have to fear your memories any longer. The Sheikah know better than to try and seal either of us in a mask again, do not worry.”_

“The Sheikah?”

The Lord of the Mountain paws at the bottom of the pond and tosses its head. _“You think those that work in the shadows have not been marred by that darkness and made their own mistakes in their fight against the Calamity?”_

And no, such a thought does not surprise Link in the slightest. He knows that there’s more to beating back a dark power than light and goodness and purity. He’s drenched his own hands in enough blood and malice to know that much, and yet still, he feels as if he only has more questions now rather than answers.

“What if he breaks free?” Sidon asks from behind Link. “This…Majora?”

 _“A child acts out when they don’t get what they want,”_ the Lord of the Mountain says. _“He simply wishes to not be alone, and now, he is not.”_

“I’m sorry he was alone for so long,” Link says. “But I think…I would rather not see either of you ever again.”

The Lord of the Mountain bobs its head in what must be a nod. _“Do not ever let yourself be alone as I left him to be alone.”_

“And just who exactly are you?” Sidon asks.

_“I believe, once upon a time, I was once called a Fierce Deity. But those days are long past, and there are some things that should be left there, don’t you think?”_

The Lord of the Mountain doesn’t wait for their answer. It turns away and as it exits the pond, it fades into the fog and mist as if it had never been there at all. Link swallows and steps back out of the pond, his knees feeling weak. Sidon steadies him with a strong grip as he wraps his arm around Link’s shoulders.

“I am regretting putting such a creature on my list,” Sidon says. “That…is not how I expected that to go.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Link says. “I had no idea. I didn’t…”

“I hate to pressure you, but perhaps we should speak about this mask that you are so afraid of,” Sidon says. “Let’s make camp first though, yes?”

In the end, Sidon is the one who does all the work. He builds a small fire on the edge of the pond and pulls out Link’s bedroll from behind Epona’s saddle to lie beside it before pulling out their dried fish rations and handing some of it off for Link to eat. He does so, the motions feeling mechanical. He doesn’t taste much of anything either. After he’s eaten, he strips out of his boots and socks, laying them out to dry. Epona and Madwebiisaan both graze near the tree.

Sidon slips into the pond, stretching out and floating on his pack. His eyes are shut, and with the way the moonlight falls against his skin, Link finds himself unable to look away. Staring at Sidon is soothing in a way. He thinks of what the Lord of the Mountain said about loneliness and tries to imagine a world in which he has no Sidon or Isha or Jerrin or Yunobo. A world where the Link of then had no Saria or Ruto or Rauru, no sister and grandmother, no friends or allies. While his experiences and friendships are certainly fewer than most Hylians, it’s obvious he isn’t nearly as alone in the world as he thought he was.

“This mask the Lord mentioned…it still exists?” Sidon asks. His eyes are still closed though, perhaps as a way to help Link considering he knows how such verbal conversations can become more difficult when he has to monitor his body language too.

“Yes,” Link says, drawing his knees up to his chest even as he wiggles his toes just so he has something to move. “I found it following a rumor I’d heard, but it always unnerved me so I left it at home.”

“And these dreams you had?” Sidon asks. “Was this at Saria’s Lake?”

“Yes.” Link sinks his toes into the wet dirt. “I dreamt it tried to kill me with a creature that looked just like me, but made out of malice.”

“Do you know what used to be contained in the mask?” Sidon asks. “Who this Majora was?”

“No, not at all,” Link says. “I know enough that it all feels familiar and talking to…talking to them just now made me feel uneasy, like I was…drawing attention to something that is meant to be forgotten. I know whatever creature slept in that mask was violent and that’s…that’s all.”

“It likely was not something that was meant to be remembered, if what it said about the Sheikah was true,” Sidon says. “I don’t think anyone is foolish enough to think the Sheikah aren’t willing to do unsavory things in the name of protecting Hyrule, but if this Fierce Deity and Majora are truly thousands of years old, it is unlikely that finding out what their purpose to the Sheikah was is even possible.”

“I don’t want to know,” Link says. “It’s like Madwebiisaan, isn’t it? He had the chance to be left alone and choose his own path. We should let Majora and the Fierce Deity do the same.”

Sidon shifts, sitting up in the water and looking at Link. “I agree. Whatever sins they committed are long past, and it is clear they have no intention to continue on that path as long as they are left alone together.”

Link can’t help the somewhat sad smile that tugs at his lips. “Alone together…an interesting concept.”

“It hurts to hear how many people and creatures are lonely in this world,” Sidon says. “I can’t imagine how lonely one must feel to be driven to the type of violence this Majora was apparently capable of.”

“It’s not like that for me,” Link says. “When I’m…” He stops, trying to figure out the right words and phrases to articulate the multitude of emotions roiling in his chest like water in a boiling pot. Just as always, Sidon waits. “When I think of how I feel when I’m at my loneliness, I just want to stop existing.”

Sidon inhales, sharp. “It hurts to hear you say that.”

“I’m sorry,” Link says, shame bubbling up into his throat and making it feel tight just as it had this morning. “I don’t…I don’t mean to do that.”

“That’s not what I meant, and I will not explain it to you again because I know you understand what I mean,” Sidon says as he stands up and joins Link to sit beside the fire. “I simply mean that I wish you never felt lonely at all.”

“I feel less lonely with you,” Link says. “I think…I think realizing how bad my loneliness could be has helped me put some things in perspective. I’ve been lonely, but I’ve never been alone. I’ve always had people willing to understand if only I reached out, I’ve just never known how but now…I think I want to try, even if I’m scared.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Sidon asks.

“I fear that someday, you’ll leave, and not just you, but everyone,” Link says. “I keep losing people.”

“Fear of loss shouldn’t keep you from living your life and enjoying your friendships,” Sidon says.

Link can’t help but smile at the words, remembering what Jerrin had said only a few days ago. “Yeah…yeah, I think I’m finally starting to get that.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep well tonight?” Sidon asks.

“Um…do you think you could sing to me? Like before,” Link asks. It’s hard to ask without feeling like a burden, but he decides it’s a victory that he’s even asking at all.

Sidon smiles and nods. “Of course.”

Link crawls into his bedroll as Sidon slips back into the pond to sleep in the water. His melodic voice floats through the air, a gentle and calming reminder that at least for now, Link is not alone at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm leaving the chapter count at 12 but I think it's only going to be 11 chapters now? I could be wrong though. I'm writing chapter 11 right now and we'll see what happens. 
> 
> This is a pretty short chapter after the long ones, but chapter 8 is the longest chapter in the story so I hope you're ready. I might upload them quicker once I actually properly finish the fic too! As always comments and kudos are greatly appreciated
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at the same username

They head back out mid-morning the next day and despite the events of the night before, Link feels well-rested and at ease. As chilling as their encounter with the Lord of the Mountain had been, it’s comforting to know that the malevolent figure from his dreams that had once inhabited the mask is now kept safely away. If what the Lord of the Mountain had said is true, perhaps it’s happy even. It makes him think of what he had said to Sidon about power.

Power itself isn’t evil. It’s only when it’s in the hands of someone corrupt, or someone who feels as though they have nothing else to strive for but chaos, that it becomes a force of darkness and evil. They are all closer to that than he thinks they are comfortable with. Perhaps that is why the Lord of the Mountain had been so adamant that he makes sure he is not alone. He’d seen what happened to those who were left alone for too long.

“Do you think Ganon in the past had friends?” Link asks.

“Well that’s a bit of a tough question, isn’t it?” Sidon asks. He glances over at Link. “Is this about what the Lord of the Mountain said? About not being alone?”

Link nods. “I’m not saying…I’m not saying he’s justified for what he keeps doing over and over throughout history, but it does make me wonder if he is all alone. Really alone.”

“I would imagine not entirely,” Sidon says. “Even he has had allies, people who work for him whether for their own ambitions or because they share his.”

“I just wonder if…if maybe he’s alone like me and Zelda are,” Link says. “I know that we are friends, and I know that I have friends that care about me though there certainly aren’t as many as others have, but I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who really understands what it’s like except each other.”

“Do you think you can stop this cycle by making him less lonely?”

From anyone else, the question would be mocking, but from Sidon, the genuine curiosity is apparent in his voice. Link thinks about everything he knows about the Ganons from the past and the Calamity Ganon from the last century, and really, he doesn’t see how a hand of friendship from himself or Zelda could change anything. The bitterness runs too deep. The anger and frustration, the hatred. It would make sense, eh thinks, that the buildup of all those emotions were why this time around, Ganon was not merely a person of great strength, but a whole force of nature.

“No, I don’t think so,” Link says. “If there was a chance for that, it’s long gone now.”

“It’s a shame,” Sidon says. “But you are likely right. There are some things we cannot reason with, we can only avoid them and try not to cause any unnecessary bloodshed.”

The words make Link of their earlier conversations about the way he avoids confrontations with monsters whenever possible and how in many ways he disagrees with how Zelda has sent hunters to get rid of their nests. He still understands the need. There’s no way to know how hostile the creatures will be, or how close they’d be able to settle without becoming their targets. It’s not as though they can rationalize with them and explain that if they’re left alone, there won’t be violence.

In that way, they are very much the manifestation of Calamity Ganon. They cannot be reasoned with, or spoken to, or comforted. It’s upsetting in many ways. Especially considering that now with Calamity Ganon gone, people will want to return to the settlements and areas that so many of the nests are in. He hadn’t lied to Sidon when he said he didn’t feel guilt for killing what creatures he had to so he could survive. But just because he didn’t feel guilt didn’t mean he didn’t mourn the fact that there wasn’t a pathway of co-existence with the creatures tainted by the Calamity’s malice.

The path leads them upwards, giving them a good view of the Dueling Peaks in the far distance. Link takes out the Sheikah Slate and takes a picture, intending to send it to Zelda, but the sound of the shutter draws Sidon’s attention.

“I forgot! We should take pictures of our journey together so we can remember it!” Sidon says.

Link draws Epona up into a halt and Madwebiisaan follows suit. “Oh…I should have remembered earlier…”

“Oh don’t worry,” Sidon says as he climbs down from Madwebiisaan’s back. “We’ll take lots of pictures now to make up for it.”

And they do. Link takes a few pictures of Sidon and Madwebiisaan both with the Dueling Peaks in the background, and then Sidon insists on doing the same for Link which ends up being impossible because the buttons on the screen won’t respond to his fingers. The solution ends up being Sidon lifting Link up and holding him so they’re level with each other while Link takes a picture with the Sheikah Slate’s front facing camera, angling it this way and that to try and get the Dueling Peaks captured in the background as well.

That ends up requiring even more shifting and movement and Link can feel his cheeks heating up as Sidon continues to manhandle him this way and that with such a casual but careful touch. He isn’t sure what is about it that’s arousing. Since he first woke in the Shrine of Resurrection, he can count on one hand the amount of times he’s actually legitimately been aroused and been compelled to do something about it. Usually, it’s after a particularly bad bout of adrenaline, and on one memorable occasion, a sleepy morning when he woke up in his bed in Hateno shortly after regaining control of Vah Rudania.

“Um…can you put me down?” Link asks after he takes a final picture.

“Ah yes, of course!”

Sidon releases him and Link hurries back up onto Epona’s back before he notices anything.

“I wish there was a way for me to keep those photos too, but I guess that just means you’ll have to come by any time I want to see them,” Sidon says as he swings back into his own saddle.

“Maybe Zelda will find a way to display these,” Link says. “If she does I’ll let you know.”

They set back out and Link ignores the burning flush in his cheeks as he opens up the messaging window to Zelda, fiddling with different buttons until he’s able to send a few of the pictures off to her.

**_I’m not sure if it’s possible, but Sidon wants copies of these if we can._ **

Zelda’s response comes as they reach the Outskirt Stable. Link hands Sidon rupees to buy them rations from Beedle as well as some waterskins as they’ll be entering the desert soon and he knows it’s important to keep Sidon well hydrated.

**_I’ll see what I can do! You two look like you’re having fun. Next time, take me too, I’m getting tired of the castle I think._ **

Link strings up the extra waterskins to Madwebiisaan’s packs and they head out again towards the Digdogg suspension bridge. As they ride, he types out his own response back.

**_The world has probably changed a lot from what you remember. I don’t mind coming with you._ **

**_Just promise to teach me how to fight too and it’s a plan!_ **

They approach the suspension bridge not long after he puts his Sheikah Slate away, and unlike Kolami Bridge, Sidon doesn’t seem to mind the height at all. Numerous times, he cranes his neck to look over the edge, and then when they reach the small land islands between the bridges, he guides Madwebiisaan over to the edge.

“I thought you were scared of heights,” Link says.

“There’s water below this time,” Sidon says. “I don’t have to worry about taking a plunge.”

“That’s a relief,” Link says. “Because we’re definitely jumping off this bridge next time we come through here.”

Sidon’s eyes go wide as he looks at Link. “Wait, really?”

Link nods and then points to the left towards the falls that spill over from the River of the Dead. “We’re going to take that up to the Great Plateau.”

Sidon looks up to the peak of the cliff the water spills from, frowning. Even from here, it’s easy to see the snow and the chunks of ice that slide over the edge of the falls, melting as they tumble down. “Given my issues with the cold, do you feel safe letting me do that?”

“I think so,” Link says. “I think whatever power guides the shrines is what makes it cold, because as soon as you cross one of the hills, the cold and snow stop and it’s only about a twenty-minute walk from the river’s edge. Plus, now that I know, I’ll make you more bracelets at Gerudo Town before we head back.”

He doesn’t get a chance to really elaborate because they hear the whooping of Bokoblins a moment later as they head down the last bridge towards the sand covered path that leads them through the cliffs towards the desert. There’s five of them circling on horses in the broad empty space between the bridge and where the path curves between the high cliff sides, blocking them from where they could escape to once they leave the bridge. Link draws his sword but they can’t exactly race across the bridge towards their enemies. As soon as Epona’s hooves hit the solid ground though, she springs into action, racing across the hard-packed sand.

Link sends the white Bokoblin on its mount careening through the air with a well-placed hit of his sword and leaps from Epona’s back to follow up with a downward slash propelled by his momentum. It’s enough for him to ram his blade through the Bokoblin’s thick hide and even thicker skull. He turns around to see Madwebiisaan knock a blue Bokoblin from its mount while Sidon spears another and tosses it towards the chasm they had just crossed. Epona races back towards him and he sprints towards her, leaping and swinging back into the saddle as she continues forward towards the next Bokoblin.

It’s another white Bokoblin and it smashes its own sword against its shield as it sends its horse charging towards them. Link sheathes his sword and tugs his guardian spear from his belt. He activates it just in time, the extra reach as he stands up in Epona’s saddle giving him enough leverage to go over the monster’s shield and swing it like an axe, sending the Bokoblin into the dirt. He springs from Epona’s back once more, driving the Bokoblin back a few times with his spear. Before he can follow up with something else, there’s the thundering sound of Madwebiisaan’s hooves and then the horse is crashing into the Bokoblin.

That’s enough to put an end to it. Link trips the mechanism on the spear to make its glowing blade vanish and clips it back to his belt before grabbing Epona’s saddle and pulling himself back up into it once more. Sidon drives his spear into the dirt before pulling it back out, clear of blood, and puts it over his back once more.

“You get off your horse quite often for someone who likes to travel on them,” Sidon says as they start back on their path once more.

“It’s…not one of my smartest choices,” Link says. He frowns as he leans down to run his fingers along Epona’s neck. “I have a vague memory of the royal guard criticizing me for not staying on my war horse’s back because the whole point was that they were trained to fight.”

“So why do you do it?” Sidon asks.

“Mostly to protect them,” Link says. “I hate the idea of any of my mounts taking a blow meant for me, so I just draw attention away from them and catch up with them later.”

“Didn’t you fight a Lynel with Madwebiisaan though?” Sidon asks.

“That was more an issue of circumstance,” Link says. “Sometimes it’s not avoidable, but when it is, I do my best to keep them out of conflict.”

“I can see why that attitude wouldn’t necessarily be welcomed in the royal guard,” Sidon says. “But I’m glad you didn’t let that change you. I think…”

It’s not often that it’s Sidon that’s at a loss for words, and it makes Link a little nervous as they progress through the canyon and he watches Sidon grapple with the words that he wants to say. After a few moments, he starts again.

“Ganon corrupts the Triforce of Power, but you have the Triforce of Courage. Remember what I said at Serenne Stable, about how it takes courage to care for people? Ganon corrupts the power he has access to because he’s a coward who cannot find it in himself to care for others, whatever that reason may be. And yet you are someone, who even when people don’t understand how or why, cares deeply for others and never shies away from it. I…admire that about you,” Sidon says.

“T-Thank you,” Link says, staring at him with what he’s sure is a flustered expression. It’s certainly how he feels after all. “It…sometimes I feel like you’re one of the only people who realizes I do care…”

“And yet even if people don’t understand that you care, you continue to do so anyways,” Sidon says with a nod. “That’s the courage I want to emulate and find within myself.”

Link can feel his cheeks heat up again, a warm feeling he can’t quite identify curling in his stomach. “I wish there were more people like you.”

He thinks of Majora and the Fierce Deity, bound together so that Majora will never be alone again. That’s not something he wants, really, but there’s something alluring about the idea of never having to feel the pang of loneliness or of being misunderstood again. The allure disappears when he recalls the way at the start of this journey, being around Sidon so much made him want to be alone again.

It’s hard to imagine being happy if he spent every day of the rest of his life around Sidon. Not that Sidon wants that. He’s been clear that he’s happy with how Link lives his life and his desires to be alone with his own thoughts and he doubts that would change if they were to take another step forward and become romantically involved with each other the way they’ve both admitted to wanting. Perhaps it’s something about Zoran culture that makes the idea of a partner who runs off to be on their own more palatable. After all, it was only because of the Calamity that they had withdrawn so far into the Domain.

“Do Zora wander on their own?” Link asks.

“The way you do, you mean?” Sidon asks.

The sun has sunk too low to cast the canyon in its light, leaving them both in the shadow of the high cliffs on either side of the path. Dust kicks up in a breeze and then dies away again.

“Yeah,” Link says.

“Not really,” Sidon says. “The Zora are very much a collectivist people and we thrive when we’re in groups, whether those groups are made up of other Zora or Hylians or the Rito or Gorons doesn’t really seem to matter. But being alone…that’s something we never really are. From the moment our eggs are laid in a pool to incubate and hatch, we are surrounded by others. It’s not that we can’t survive alone, I just don’t think we have very fulfilling lives that way.”

Link makes an unintelligible noise of acknowledgment and mulls over the words. That does make sense. From what Sidon had said earlier, the Zora that did live outside the Domain still lived in settlements, and while the Calamity had given rise to more wandering travelers, it had been apparent that it took a special type of Hylian to wander Hyrule entirely alone.

“Does this have anything to do with what we talked about earlier? About…well. Being more than friends?” Sidon asks.

“A little,” Link says.

“I don’t mind that you travel, Link,” Sidon says, and when Link looks at him, he’s look ahead towards the path they’re on. “If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be here after all, right? I am enjoying this peek into your world that this journey has given me, but at the end of the day, I am someone who enjoys the comforts of home. I am quite alright with the idea of providing that home for you to come to.”

The sentiment in Sidon’s voice, the sincerity of his words, it makes Link’s throat feel tight and his eyes burn. He twists his fingers in Epona’s mane.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says.

-.-

Their journey through the canyon progresses fairly quickly, though Sidon nearly drains all their spare water flasks in the process. When they reach the Gerudo Canyon Stable, Link purchases more water, boards their horses, and arranges for their transport back to the suspension bridge for the day after tomorrow. That also requires arranging for their horses to be brought to the Hylian Bridge a few days after that. Epona and Madwebiisaan are smart enough to know where to wait for them if they’re left somewhere, but he’ll still have to be careful that they adhere to a strict timeline.

With the sun setting, the air grows cooler. He finds Sidon sitting on the edge of the path before it drops down and gives way to the desert sands munching on some of their rations. When he sits down beside him, Sidon offers him some of the dried fish. Link takes it and eats as well as they stare out at the desert.

“If you want, I can arrange for the woman who helped me make the bracelets to meet us at Kara Kara Bazaar tomorrow,” Link says. “And we can make something out of the gems we got from the Rock Talus.”

“That would be lovely,” Sidon says. “But it does remind me…Gerudo Town is supposed to be a town of only women, so how is it that you have so many people there that you know?”

It’s not an unexpected question. In fact, Link figured he’d have to own up to it sooner or later, and he’s grateful he’d told Isha already. It doesn’t feel so scary the second time around with someone who he’s far closer with after all, but still, he takes some time to arrange his thoughts in the right order. It’s something he wants to say out loud, but he doesn’t want to be misunderstood either.

“Originally, when I was trying to get control of the Divine Beast Naboris, I dressed up as a woman and snuck in,” Link says. “But when I did that I realized that I…um…that sometimes I liked being seen that way? Sometimes, I feel odd or out of sync with my body. It’s sort of like when I can’t tell what memories are mine, but it feels more personal, I don’t really know how to describe it, but if I dress like Gerudo women do and visit their town, that feeling goes away. So I think…I think sometimes I am me and sometimes I’m me, but a little different.”

He can’t help but wince at the silence that follows. As hard as he’d tried to explain it, he can’t help but be painfully aware of how nonsensical his own explanation had sounded. Anxiety bubbles up in his chest and in the face of Sidon’s silence, he continues talking.

“Isha, the Gerudo jewelry maker that helped me make your bracelets, she said there’s Hylian men like me who aren’t…who feel like I do sometimes or all the time,” Link says. “It’s just not common. But I’m not…I’m not trying to be weird or anything, it’s not like that, I just-”

“It’s okay,” Sidon says. “I don’t…really get it? But I don’t see anything wrong with sometimes wanting to be perceived as someone else for awhile.”

“It’s not just about being seen that way,” Link says. His fingers twist together in his lap, dull nails biting at his own palms and fingers. “It’s actually being that way too.”

“Is there a different name you go by?” Sidon asks.

Link shakes his head. “I like my name, and my identity, it’s not about trying to escape being Link the legendary hero. I still feel like Link the legendary hero when I feel like that, when I feel like I want to go to Gerudo Town and be treated as a woman.”

Sidon nods, a thoughtful frown on his face. “Okay, that makes more sense. It sounded like perhaps it was just about escapism, but this makes more sense.”

“It’s just a different side of me, that’s all,” Link says, letting out a rough breath. “And not a side I really want to share with many people.”

“Do Hylians think something like this is weird?” Sidon asks.

“You think it’s weird, don’t you?”

Sidon frowns harder. “I suppose I do, don’t I? That’s a fair point. It’s not quite the same as what I’m asking though. I think what you’ve described is different, and perhaps a little odd because I don’t fully grasp or understand the feeling you’re describing, but it doesn’t make me think less of you. I suppose what I should’ve asked is do Hylians think something like this is strange?”

“Yeah,” Link says. Being a warrior or a fighter or a member of the royal guard wasn’t restricted to gender, and he’d met blacksmiths and farmers and scientists of both genders, but no one ever seemed to try to be seen as a different gender. At least, not that Link had seen. “Enough that those who feel that way hide it.”

“I’m glad you don’t feel like you have to hide it from me,” Sidon says. He looks over at Link then and offers a smile. “And I’m glad you have some place to go where you’ll be accepted when you feel that way, and I hope you know that if you want to be that way around me, I am open to it.”

Link lets out another breath and then slumps into Sidon’s side. “Thanks.”

Sidon shifts to wrap his arm around Link’s shoulders. “Of course.”

-.-

The conversation they’d had the night before makes Link feel brave, so he returns to his home in Hateno Village in the early hours of the morning before Sidon wakes and changes into his Gerudo vai clothing. From there, he teleports to the shrine outside Gerudo Town and waits for Isha’s shop to open. She startles back when she sees him waiting a few feet from the door when she pulls back the curtain and slides the iron grate up.

“Well you’re certainly early, aren’t you?” she asks.

“Sorry,” Link says, pitching his voice a little higher the way he usually does when he’s here as he stands up. “I have a favor. Prince Sidon and I are going to reach Kara Kara Bazaar today, and he was hoping to make something out of the gems he got from a Rock Talus. I was hoping you could meet us there and teach him?”

“I can certainly arrange for that,” she says. “So today you feel…what? Vai? Voe?”

“I don’t know,” Link says. “I’m trying it out.”

Isha nods. “Okay, I can work with that. Shall I meet you both there around noon?”

“That works. Thank you.”

From there, he hires three sand seals from Frelly and after a great deal of finagling with some spare rope she lets him have, he gets all three to work together and take him back towards the Gerudo Canyon Stable. Two should be enough to pull Sidon along. By the time he returns, Sidon is sitting by the fire outside the stable. When he sees Link, he stands up.

“Ah there you are,” Sidon says. “I pulled our more important items and put them into waterproof packs I bought from the stable master. I figured that would help given our plan to scale a waterfall later.”

Link blinks. “Um…yeah, that’s a great idea actually. Let me just grab one more thing.”

He finds Epona’s stall and grabs the spare shield he kept with his belongings before returning to where Sidon is. So far, Sidon hasn’t said a word about his change of clothes. Perhaps the conversation from last night had been enough of an explanation, or perhaps Zora truly did not pay all that much attention to the clothing Hylians and Gerudo alike chose to wear. Whatever the reason, Link is grateful.

It doesn’t surprise him at all the way Sidon makes a noise of delight when he’s introduced to the sand seals, petting them all in turn and then turning back towards Link with a side smile.

“I would like a picture with them too if I may,” Sidon says.

Link pulls the Sheikah Slate out and after convincing the somewat grumpy sand seals into position, gets a nice picture of them all with the sun just starting to light the desert behind them. He puts down his spare shield and urges Sidon to get on. After a quick demonstration of how to bare down his heels properly at the right angle, he sets his own shield down and picks up the reins of his sand seal.

“Ready?” he asks.

“Not…entirely,” Sidon says. “But I’m willing to try!”

The enthusiasm is all he really needs. Link clicks his tongue and flicks his reins, sending his own sand seal plunging into the sand and dragging him along behind him. He hears Sidon yelp behind him. When he turns to look though, Sidon’s expression is an even wider grin than before as he clings to the ropes and tries to keep the sand seals’ path centered behind Link’s. It’s nice to see Sidon so carefree, and even nicer to hear the sound of his laugh as they tear across the sands.

So many experiences so far on their journey have been things that Link is just used to doing. Watching the joy Sidon feels as he experiences them all for the first time puts things in a new perspective for him, and before long he finds himself laughing along with Sidon’s delight. It’s nice in a way he finds hard to describe. There’s a lightness to the whole experience that makes him excited for what the rest of the journey will hold together, for what new light Sidon will make him see things that he’s relegated to the category of mundane.

They reach Kara Kara Bazaar before noon, but there’s a few shops already open showing their wares of fruits and various slow cooked meats. Link ties their sand seals off at one of the posts with their shields and then turns towards Sidon.

“I’ll get us some lunch and then we can swim in the oasis?” Link asks.

“That would be lovely!”

Link buys them both a few servings of kabobs and finds Sidon sitting beneath one of the palm trees, his legs already dipped into the cool water. He sits down beside him and hands off a few of the kabobs before dipping his feet into the water as well, sighing at the cooling sensation it spreads through his body. It’s a welcome respite from the heat that’s already starting to press down around them.

“These are delicious,” Sidon says through several mouthfuls. “It’s so tender and juicy.”

“They slow cook it,” Link says. He bites off a few chunks of meat and then some of the mushrooms too, remembering Sidon’s lesson of eating slower so that he can savor it. It _is_ tender. It practically falls apart in his mouth, the juices soaking his taste buds with flavor. “I’ve never had time to cook much of anything like this.”

“I will have to learn,” Sidon says. “This is too good to not try to recreate back home, though most Zora prefer fish to whatever this is.”

“Poultry,” Link says. “But I think you can make it with beef too.”

They finish off their meal and Link disposes of the kabob sticks before sitting at the edge of the oasis water as Sidon slips into it fully. Link pulls out his slate as Sidon floats on his back and sneaks a picture. He looks so peaceful floating there. He wants to remember this for himself, even if Sidon doesn’t need the picture for himself. After a moment, he sets the Sheikah Slate aside and then pulls off his veil and top, placing them near the shoreline with his slippers and then strips off the pants next so he’s just in the Zora greaves. He unrolls them from where he’d had them rolled up beneath the Gerudo pants and then slips into the water.

He swims over to Sidon, giving a half-hearted splash of water over his stomach to get his attention. Sidon doesn’t even acknowledge him outside a quick wave. Link snorts and after a moment of hesitation, braces his arms on Sidon’s stomach and rests his chin on them, but all that earns him is Sidon petting the top of his head.

“You must really like the water huh?” Link asks.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to have a nice long soak,” Sidon says, voice a little bit of a mumble. “It’s nice.”

“Will you be able to soak in the ocean?” Link asks.

“Mm-hm,” Sidon says. “Zora evolved to be able to live in salt-water a long time ago, it’s just not our preferred habitat given that we need land too.”

“You’ll like the second half of the journey the,” Link says.

“Are we really half-way done?” Sidon asks.

“Close to it,” Link says.

The thought makes him sad. He feels like he and Sidon have found a nice rhythm with each other, slipping between conversation and companionable silence with ease. Sidon must read his mind because he pushes Link away with a gentle touch before standing up in the oasis as Link treads water.

“Let’s not think too hard about the end of our journey, hm?” Sidon says. The smile he offers Link is warm.

Link nods. “Yeah.”

They soak for a little while longer before pulling themselves out of the water. By the time noon rolls around, the bazaar is busy with travelers stopping there either on their way too or from Gerudo Town. Now that the Divine Beasts are tamed, trade in the desert has begun to flourish once more. Link is just pulling his Gerudo clothing back on when he sees Isha enter the bazaar with a pack on her back. She smiles and waves when she sees them and then points towards the small inn at the south end of the bazaar before heading towards it.

“Go grab your gems,” Link says. “I’ll introduce you to Isha.”

The inn isn’t too busy, most preferring to get through the desert before the sun sets, but that just means it’s easy for them to take up space in the back area. Isha has her tools spread out when Link arrives with Sidon. She turns to look at them both, eyes widening as she takes in Sidon’s rather impressive height before turning to look at Link.

“I didn’t realize Zora got so…large,” she says.

“It’s something that happens in the royal line usually,” Sidon says. “I promise not to break your tool though, I’ve gotten used to using Hylian tools.”

“Our tools are bigger than those used by Hylians,” Isha says. “But forgive my terrible manners. I am Isha.” She offers a partial bow. “I am a jewelry maker, though I would have been out of business if it weren’t for Link’s assistance a few months ago.”

“He is a good friend,” Sidon says.

From the way Isha looks at him, Link is pretty sure she can tell he’s blushing even with his veil in place.

“So, show me what we are working with,” she says.

Sidon pulls out the gems from the Rock Talus out of his pack and sets them on the workspace. There’s the diamond, and then four ambers and two rubies as well as a sapphire. She nods and then hums.

“Who is it for?” she asks, looking at both of them.

“I was hoping to make something for Link,” Sidon says. “He is a-“

“A precious friend?” Isha asks.

“Yes,” Sidon says.

“He said the same about you,” Isha says and Link fights the urge to run from the building in embarrassment. It’s all in good fun though. He knows Isha means well and isn’t saying it to make fun of him. “Do you have many necklaces, Link?”

Link shakes his head and after a moment of consideration holds his hands up to sign. _“No. People would look at me weird.”_

“Then a necklace, yes? For when you want to wear it for you,” Isha says with a nod.

“I like that idea,” Sidon says, then looks at Link. “If you’re comfortable with that?”

Link nods before his nerves can get the better of him, chest warming at the unquestioning and unfailing care that they both treat him with. It chases the loneliness that dogs at his heels. Having something to remind him of this moment would be nice, even if it wasn’t something he could wear all the time. Perhaps that made it even more special.

“Well now that that’s decided, you have to leave,” Isha says, gesturing at him with one of her pointier iron tools. “I don’t want the final product to be spoiled for you, so go be useful and go back to my shop. I left a lovely dessert in the icebox there for you both but I forgot to bring it with me.”

 _“Consider it done,_ ” Link signs.

“Alright Prince. Let’s see what those royal hands of yours can do with delicate work, hm?”

-.-

By the time Link returns with the desserts, carefully stored in a small spelled pouch to help keep it cool, the sun is starting down towards the mountain peaks and the bazaar is emptying out. He finds Sidon and Isha where they left him, except whatever Sidon had been working on is nowhere to be found. On the counter instead are bowls of shawarma.

“Pull up a seat, darling,” Isha says. “We will eat my dessert after this.”

Link obeys, grabbing one of the spare chairs and accepting the bowl that Isha hands him before freezing. He’s not quite sure how to go about eating this. Isha nudges his arm and hands him two small sticks.

“Sidon tells me you do not like metal utensils. These are made of wood,” Isha says. “I will show you how to use them properly, yes?”

It takes a bit of practice, and an embarrassing amount of times of Isha correcting his fingers and his grip, but eventually he’s able to use the small sticks to pick up some of the chicken and put it in his mouth. Unlike the metal utensils, it doesn’t leave behind any sort of odd sensation in his teeth or jaw. It’s a relief to know there’s something out there he can eat with instead of constantly making a mess or limiting what types of food he tries to eat.

“Thank you,” Link says as he swallows the last of his food. “I…do these keep fine?”

Isha nods. “Just rinse them after you use them, and wash them properly when you get a chance. If you need new ones, they sell them in Gerudo Town and Kakariko Village as well too, I think. I’m surprised you hadn’t come across them yet.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for them in the future,” Link says.

Isha takes their bowls and rinses them in the nearby sink before returning to sit with them near the counter and opening the small package Link had brought. She slides out a small container and unwraps the top, revealing a cake shaped desert with sliced bananas and strawberries on top with a thick syrup drizzled over it.

“This is Layali Gerudo, a fruit and pudding dessert,” Isha says. “It is my specialty!”

She puts a large helping in each of the bowls and hands them back with a confident smile.

“I feel like I’m being spoiled,” Sidon says as he pushes his spoon into the soft pudding and cream. “I asked for one delicacy for each village we visit, and yet here I have had so many delicious and homemade meals.”

“You will just have to hire me to come cook for you,” Isha says.

“And make jewelry,” Sidon says. “You are quite a skilled individual, Isha. I know many Zora jewelers would love to have you sell their wares here, as well as sell your wares out of the Domain too. My intention on this journey wasn’t to establish trade contacts but well…Link seems to be friends with talented people.”

“I am more than happy to arrange such a thing,” Isha says. “But, I must be going if I want to get back to my shop before the sun sets. Make sure you finish the dessert off! I’m taking my ice pack with me after all.”

“Thank you so much for everything!” Sidon says, hiding his mouth with his hand given the spoonful of pudding and fruit he had just put in his mouth.

“Thank you for being such a good friend to Link,” Isha says.

She squeezes Link’s shoulder on her way out of the inn and once more Link finds himself nearly overwhelmed by the warm feeling the casual but certain affection they both offer him. They finish their dessert and clean up as best they can. Link gives the remainder to the innkeepers and then purchases a bed for himself. Sidon waves him off when he asks if he would like a bed as well.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer to sleep in the oasis,” Sidon says. “I miss sleeping that way. Perhaps I’m a little bit homesick.”

“That’s fine,” Link says. “Mind if I join you for a bit?”

Sidon smiles. “I’d be delighted.”

Link stows their packs and shields under the bed the innkeeper assigns him before heading out to the oasis. The bazaar is empty now, the last of the shopkeepers having turned in or departed back for Gerudo Town and the travelers long gone before the sun had begun to set. Even now, the sun is barely peaking above the mountains and it’s easy to see the stars. He sits down beside Sidon who has his hands carefully cupped together in his lap.

For a long while, they sit there together. The sun finishes it descent, bathing them in the cool darkness with only the torch lights that ring the oasis to keep them company. Link takes his slippers and veil off and lets his feet dangle in the water before leaning into Sidon’s shoulder, resting his cheek against the warm skin of his bicep as he lets his eyes slide shut. He’s getting used to this. The casual touch. The reminder, as Sidon said, that one is not alone in the world. That’s what touch was.

“I made this,” Sidon says after a moment. “But I feel I cannot give it to you if I am not entirely honest.”

Link pulls away, frowning as he looks up at him. “Honest about what?”

Sidon looks down at him, his gaze firm. “I am in love with you Link. I want you to know that and I want you to accept this gift regardless of how you feel about me. I know earlier you said you aren’t sure how you feel. I want you to know even if you accept this, I know it doesn’t mean you return my feelings the same way and I’m okay with that. I just didn’t feel right giving it to you when you didn’t know exactly how I felt.”

The words…aren’t a surprise. Not really. Sidon had basically said as much beforehand, but the gravity of his words now feels much greater.

“I understand,” Link says. “I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you yet.”

“It’s okay,” Sidon says. “Here…”

He opens his hands and reveals the necklace he had made. Golden and silver threads woven together make up the main body of the necklace, giving way to small pendants of ruby and amber along the sides before ending in a final diamond center piece that will rest just below his collarbones in the center of his chest. Surrounding the diamond are tiny eyelets of sapphire. It’s gorgeous. Just looking at it makes Link’s throat feel tight and when Sidon moves to put it around his neck, he flinches back.

“It’s not…it’s too beautiful,” Link says.

“I…do you not like it?” Sidon asks, and he sounds devastated at even the prospect.

“That’s not it,” Link says with a shake of his head. “I’m just…I don’t know how you can think I’m…” His words tangle up in his mouth again and he feels tears of frustration gathering at the corners of his eyes.

“Link…this is not too beautiful for you,” Sidon says. “It was made with you in mind, and only you.”

This time when Sidon moves forward, Link doesn’t move away. Sidon rests the necklace against his chest and then reaches behind him to fit the clasps together before pulling his hands away, smiling down at him.

“Perfect,” Sidon says. “Just how I imagined you’d look, better even.”

Link swallows past the lump in his throat, looking down at the gleaming metals and gems in the flickering torchlight. That someone like him, a warrior that feels more inhuman than human when he’s wandering the wilds for weeks on end, could wear something so delicate and beautiful, that Sidon could look at someone like him and imagine him in something so lovely…

“Thank you,” he says. “That’s not enough to really…explain what I’m feeling, but thank you.”

Sidon leans forward and down, pressing the softest of kisses against Link’s forehead. “You’re most welcome, my treasured friend.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. This is my favorite chapter. I'm working on the last chapter of this fic but I've been really laid up from a partially torn ligament lately :/ I think I'm still on track to post one chapter a week but I will of course let you guys know if that changes
> 
> I hope you like reading this chapter as much as I liked writing it :)

The next morning, Link wakes up feeling tired, but oddly at peace. Emotionally, he’s never been more drained from the flood of emotions both Isha and Sidon had made him feel, and yet, it had left him feeling loved and cherished and seen. It’s a feeling he’s becoming used to the more time he spends with Sidon. He chooses to wear the necklace beneath his clothing even after they return to Gerudo Canyon Stable and he changes back into his normal clothing. It’s a reminder of Sidon.

Not that he really needs such a reminder right now of course when he has Sidon beside him, but still.

They travel with a merchant group back to the Digdogg Suspension Bridge and arrive just a little after the sun has set. They dismount their horses and tie Madwebiisaan and Epona’s leads to one of the merchants as arranged before. It’s odd the way he can trust Madwebiisaan to keep them both safe with strangers. He’s done things like this in the past with little issue, but the usual anxiety he feels as they’re led away doesn’t hit him when he can see Madwebiisaan’s obvious hulking form and the way many of the merchants take as much distance as they can away from him.

“So we’re to jump from here then?” Sidon asks once they reach the middle land area.

Link nods as he strips his tunic and pants off to reveal the Zora suit beneath it, stowing the items in the waterproof pack Sidon bought each of them. After a moment of thought, he tucks the necklace away as well, wrapped in the tunic to keep it as safe as possible, and then he steps up to the edge beside Sidon.

“I can hold both our packs, and then you can take us up the waterfall,” Link says. “Does that work?”

Sidon nods and digs through his own pack for the ruby bracelets, including the additional ones he’d bought from Isha the day before, sliding them onto his arms. It’s not foolproof, but Link isn’t as concerned about this as he had been the Tabantha Snowfield. As long as he keeps them both moving, they’ll be out of the cold water and the cold air in less than an hour, and then it’s just a matter of getting a warm fire going and tucking together if they need to.

“See you at the falls,” Sidon says, and hands Link his pack.

He offers Link a wave and then flings himself off the ledge in a neat and graceful dive that Link only wishes he could emulate. Link adjusts both packs on his shoulders and then follows suit, only opting to open his paraglider instead, coasting across the river after Sidon’s form towards the waterfall. It’s a little rough, but he manages to time it so he drops onto Sidon’s back with little difficulty.

“Arms around my shoulders please, and hang on tight!”

It’s all the warning Link has, and he barely has his arms wrapped around Sidon’s form before they’re plunging forward into the water and then rocketing upwards. Even having done this himself with the Zora suit, he never quite gets used to the way waterfall climbing feels. It’s like half drowning and half flying all at once. 

Sidon breaks the surface of the waterfall and Link pushes himself away, opening his paraglider and sliding through the cold air to the snowy bank beside the river. He’s only just closed it when Sidon pulls himself out of the freezing river. Even just looking at him, Link can tell the freezing cold of the River of the Dead has gotten to him. His eyes seem unfocused and there’s a stiff quality to the way he shifts his weight. Link grabs Sidon’s hand and forces him to move.

He keeps their pace as brisk as he can. Even with Link’s strength to pull him along, Sidon’s movements are clumsy and he nearly trips several times as they make their way across the snow and then up the small hill that marks the edge of the magically frozen area. He tries not to think about just how cold Sidon’s fingers feel in his hand.

The moment they leave the range of the freezing magic is like being hit by a wall of heat even though Link feels confident it’s only ten or so degrees warmer. He just hopes it’s enough to make a difference. When he looks back at Sidon, he has his jaw clenched tight and his golden eyes look a little hazy still. Maybe he’s imagining it, but he thinks that at least Sidon’s movements seem a little smoother as they begin their trek down towards the Forest of Spirits. Perhaps they would’ve been smarter to spend the night at the bridge and tackle all this in the morning. At least then they would have had the sun’s rays to help warm them up instead of nothing above but the inky darkness of night with a near full moon to light their way.

“I…am never doing that again,” Sidon says as they reach the forest’s edge.

The knot of tension and anxiety that had swamped him only moments ago washes away at the sound of Sidon’s voice. He let’s go of Sidon’s hand and opts instead to turn and hug him tight. It’s a little difficult considering he’s still wearing both of their packs, but it helps when he presses his ear to Sidon’s sternum so he can hear the slow beat of his heart and the pulse of his blood. Sidon pets the top of his head.

“I’m safe, Link, don’t worry,” Sidon says. “Seeing me in danger really worries you huh?”

Link nods and squeezes his eyes tight against the burn of tears at the corners of his eyes as if that will actually help. He doesn’t even try to communicate what he’s feeling. Sidon doesn’t seem like he really wants to press him either and instead lets Link hold him as long as he likes. After a long moment, Link inhales, hating how the noise of it is wet with his tears. He wipes them away and then offers Sidon a firm look and nod of his head. Sidon smiles in return and then drops his hands down to pry his own pack free from Link’s shoulder. For an embarrassingly stubborn moment, Link almost refuses. It’s like a shrill bell ringing in his head, demanding that he shoulder every burden, physical or otherwise, to keep the people he cares about safe.

Sidon seems to read his mind as he finishes pulling the pack away. “It’s just a pack, Link. I can carry it just fine, and probably you too if I really wanted.”

Link opens his mouth, but words still feel much too far away. He settles for signing again. _“I know. I’m trying not to be overbearing.”_

“I know you are, and I appreciate that,” Sidon says. “Now come on, I’m assuming you have some place in mind for camp?”

Link nods and then turns to lead the way into the woods. This late the fireflies are long gone, but the moon is bright enough to light their path even through the trees. He leads them around Hopper’s pond and a little further East. Once he sees their destination, the huge hollowed out trunk that lies empty on its side, he stops and turns back to Sidon.

_“I’m going to get firewood. Can you set up camp?”_

“Of course. I’ll get some fresh fish from the pond too,” Sidon says.

They drop their packs near the entrance of the trunk and Sidon heads back towards the pond. Link uses the opportunity to strip out of the Zora suit and lay it down to dry before pulling on his more traditional Hylian clothes and heading back into the woods for suitable firewood. He breaks open a few boulders with his remote bombs while he’s at it to find spare flint and then heads back to the trunk.

Sidon isn’t back yet. Link shoves down the instinctive panic because he _knows_ Sidon can take care of himself just fine and he knows too that there’s nothing on the Great Plateau that could really harm him. He busies himself with building a decent sized fire at the entrance of the tree trunk. It’s bigger than usual – they could both use the extra warmth. He also lays the mostly dry Zora suit out beside it so it can finish drying and he can put it back on under his clothing.

By the time he finishes with that, Sidon returns with a spear full of fish for them. Like before, Link sets up a small contraption to dry some of it for extra rations just in case they need them later while Sidon cooks the rest. Once the food is ready, Sidon looks at him with a frown. Link looks back, not sure what to say. His stomach growls and breaks the odd tension that had begun to settle over them.

“Ah, sorry,” Sidon says. “I was going to ask if you wanted to sit in my lap again like before.”

And…yes. Yes, he very much would like that. Link nods even though he’s already moving, almost throwing himself into Sidon’s lap and then turning so his back is to Sidon’s chest. The remains of the panic and anxiety melt away as Sidon’s arms wrap around him to hand him his own food before rising up to start eating his own. Neither of them seem too interested in the exercise of savoring food this time. They polish off their food in record time and then sprawl out together side by side next to the fire. When Link reaches out and touches Sidon’s arm, it’s warm. He sighs and then lets his hand slip down to curl loosely around Sidon’s wrist but still tight enough to feel his pulse.

“I wish there was a way to make you not so afraid that you’ll lose me,” Sidon says.

Link is pretty sure that’s impossible. He says as much, voice quiet even in the still night air.

“Why not?” Sidon asks.

It’s not anything he’s really thought about before – the why. He thinks about his nightmares, of Sidon frozen like the Zora had been once before, and about Majora and how whether in his dreams or reality, looking into his eyes filled him with such dread and loneliness. Is his fear of losing Sidon selfish? A desire to not be alone and nothing else? Did he really care at all for Sidon or was it just his fear of being left alone that made him so terrified of Sidon being in danger?

The thought is nauseating. Sidon is more than someone who makes him feel less alone in the world. Losing him, or rather thinking of losing him, sends a bolt of fear and anxiety through him, but he can’t help but wonder if that fear is just about losing the benefits Sidon provides to him. Is he really that selfish? Does he not see Sidon as a fully formed person worthy of his own wants and desires and goals and motivations? He hates that he doesn’t have the answer to that question immediately. He thinks he does, but how can he really know?

“I’m…scared of being alone,” Link says. “I am sorry…”

“Sorry about what? That’s a fear we all have,” Sidon says. “No one wants to be alone forever.”

“But I…shouldn’t I be afraid about losing you because…” He glares up at the stars as if that will somehow make it easier to articulate himself, but it doesn’t do anything other than frustrate him more.

“Because…”

“Because it would be bad for you,” Link says.

“Believe me, I have no desire to die,” Sidon says. “But if I did, I would not be around to mourn my lost opportunities or relationships. Why _wouldn’t_ you mourn for me because we no longer would be able to share new experiences together?”

“Shouldn’t I mourn for you because of the things you will never get to do, with or without me? Shouldn’t I not be so…” Link closes his eyes. “Selfish?”

“How is that selfish?”

Link paws at his own side for the Sheikah Slate, pulling it up and bringing up the text box to better type his thoughts out. It takes a while, with him constantly having to go back and rewrite it but then, that’s the whole advantage of talking with written word instead of his useless brain and even more useless mouth.

**_You are more than someone who stays by my side and makes me feel good because I am not alone. You are more to the world than how you are useful to me. It is selfish of me to be so concerned about how lonely I would be if you were hurt or died when your loss would cause so much grief for so many people and when someone as beautiful and wonderful as you couldn’t get to experience whatever it is you want. Like eat curry for the first time, or meet a Great Fairy, or see a dragon. I should be concerned about that, not about myself. But all I ever do is think about myself because I’m selfish._ **

Sidon reads the text over, pushing himself up into a sitting position and Link gets even more furious with himself at the obvious distress in Sidon’s eyes and expression. Why couldn’t he do anything right? Why did he keep making everything about himself like some sort of petulant, whining child?

“Link…in what possible world are you a selfish person?” Sidon asks, sounding like a mixture of mystified and horrified as Link sits up. “It’s…it’s like we discussed earlier right? The way you show you care isn’t the way other people do, but you _do_ care, selflessly so, about so many different people even if you’ve just met them. Just because they don’t recognize it doesn’t mean it’s not there, nor does it mean your feelings aren’t real. You are not selfish, Link. You’re just lying to yourself.”

The words hurt to hear. Sidon says them with such finality, Link knows he can’t argue the point, but he wishes he could make Sidon see that he is selfish. He _is_.

But…

Sidon is right in a way he can’t deny. He does show he cares about people in so many different ways, even knowing that they’ll never return the favor, or will complain that he didn’t do enough even after trekking across a continent for them just to show them a fossil or catch a rare animal or find an ancient cookbook. Perhaps…perhaps he is lying to himself then.

“Sometimes it’s easier to believe the lies people tell you about yourself than it is to accept what you know to be true,” Sidon says. “It’s easier to face people’s rejection that way, isn’t it? If you convince yourself that you only ever help people because you have some ulterior motive, then you never have to confront the fact that some people don’t care if you care about them.”

There’s truth in the words. They resonate with Link, put words to the jumbled mess of feelings that always sit low in his chest like a lump of seething malice. He nods his agreement, listing over to lean into Sidon’s weight.

“I guess…I guess, yeah,” Link says. “When you put it that way, I do sound really stupid.”

“You’re not stupid,” Sidon says, his frustration clear even as he sets the Sheikah Slate aside and wraps his arm around Link to pull him closer. “Stop saying such things about yourself. They aren’t true.”

Link shuts his eyes and leans further into Sidon. “It’s hard…”

“I know,” Sidon says. “I think…I think in a lot of ways, we let people’s negative perceptions of who we are influence us more than their positive perceptions. I don’t know why, but it really is much easier to believe that we are bad.”

“I didn’t mean to make this all about me.”

“I asked you a question about yourself,” Sidon says, and this time he sounds amused instead of frustrated. “If anyone made this all about you, it was me, so don’t feel guilty if you can help it, okay? I meant when I said last night. I love you. Part of loving someone, whether as a romantic partner or a friend, is helping them grow, just as you have helped me grow. I ask these questions because I want to help you see yourself the way I and your friends see you.”

Link swallows hard, hating how tight his throat feels. “You know, when I was getting things prepared for this trip, I kept thinking about how I really didn’t have many friends. But everywhere we go, I keep realizing I have more friends than I thought I did.”

“I think you have greatly underestimated how much people like you,” Sidon says.

“It’s like you said then, right? It’s easier to…see the negative.”

“Let’s work together to help you see all the positives then, yeah? No more telling me that you’re selfish,” Sidon says. “Or well, I suppose you _can_ , but I’m never going to agree with you.”

“So we’ll just have this argument for the rest of our lives?” Link asks, leaning back and looking up at Sidon.

Sidon nods without a moment of hesitation. “I don’t know if you’ve met me, but I’m quite stubborn when I put my mind to something.”

The words make Link laugh, the tension in his chest loosening once more. He lets out a breath and leans back into Sidon’s warm weight, shoving his face against the soft skin of Sidon’s chest and humming out a noise when Sidon squeezes him tighter. After another moment, Sidon moves them again, wiggling them a little closer to the fire before laying back down and pulling Link on top of him with little fanfare. Link doesn’t hesitate to sprawl himself out on top of Sidon’s larger form.

For a long few moments, neither of them speak. It helps to have Sidon close this way without having any expectation to continue their earlier conversation. It’s a lot to process, and Link thinks it’s going to be a long time before he really changes his mind to come around to the way Sidon and his other friends see him. But Sidon is around for the long haul. He thinks Isha and Jerrin and Yunobo are too. He wishes there was a way to bring Sidon up Death Mountain to meet Yunobo, but instead he thinks he’ll have to convince Yunobo to have the courage to travel to Zora’s Domain. Really, he thinks they’d both get along just fine.

“I know it isn’t on my list, but do you think we could go to the Shrine of Resurrection too while we’re here?” Sidon asks.

Practically speaking, it would be quite easy to visit the Shrine of Resurrection after the Temple of Time, but…he’s only ever returned there twice. The whole place sort of freaks him out in a way he’s not sure how to explain. It’s instinctive. Perhaps there’s some deeply suppressed memories of the moments before he’d been placed inside that makes him feel so terrible and sick when he’s there. It’s the last place he wants to bring Sidon.

“Why do you want to go?” Link asks.

But Sidon sees right through him because he just shakes his head. “You can just say no. If it makes you think about it that hard there’s obviously something about the place that distresses you, yes?”

Link nods. “A little. I just don’t know why.”

“There doesn’t have to be a why. I’m fascinated, yes, but I’m not ignorant to the fact that such a place could hold not so pleasant memories for you,” Sidon says.

“I don’t remember anything about it.”

“It isn’t just our mind that remembers things. Our bodies do too.”

And that…that’s true. It’s true in small ways, the way he does drills even now, over and over to keep them built into his muscles so he’ll move without thinking when he needs to. It’s true in big ways too. There are scars on his back and chest and abdomen that still ache sometimes, and even stronger phantom pains with no indication that there had ever been a wound there in the first place. They were all pains that could drag him down and make it hard to move.

“It’s interesting though, isn’t it? That it’s so close to the Temple of Time?” Sidon asks.

“I guess I’ve never really thought about it,” Link says. “But…I remember. The Link that was friends with Ruto and Saria, he was kept in the Sacred Realm for seven years so he could grow and be strong enough to take on Ganon. He accessed it through the Temple of Time.”

“You say you are selfish Link, and yet it is the rest of us who constantly push and pull you through time as needed by any means necessary,” Sidon says. “I…can’t help but feel bad for that Link. He had so much love for his friends, but he never got to transition from childhood to adulthood the way the rest of us did, did he?”

Link shakes his head. “Not that I can remember.”

“Mmm, that’s enough sad thoughts for the evening,” Sidon says. He runs a hand down Link’s back and then pats his hip. “Tell me about a different Link.”

Link looks at the fire and remembers the dream he’d had earlier of the hearth and the little girl and older woman. “I remember a Link who had a family. A sister and a grandmother, I think. They lived on an island and then grandmother made this amazing soup he’d always sail back to get more of.”

“What else?”

It takes a while to recall the different dreams he’s had and put them together, but he talks again like the night he had in the Lost Woods. He talks about the sea, about odd fairies that lived in shell houses and looked nothing like the Great Fairies now, about an old woman who loved butterflies and secrets. He talks until his throat is sore and his eyes are heavy. He talks until he falls asleep between one word and the next and dreams of sailing through the ocean with Sidon swimming beside him.

-.-

The next morning, Link wakes to the sound of Sidon pack away the dried fish. He stretches where he’s still lying on his own cloak, yawning as he stretches his arms far above his head. Like the morning before, he finds himself drained, but he also feels some sort of relief, like he’s drained out a poison and left himself empty. Instead of filling himself up with other’s negative perceptions of him, he has room to create and be whatever he wants. For the first time since speaking with Jerrin at the lab, he feels like perhaps he’s managed to really take her words to heart, and Sidon’s too. He can be something else. Someone else. Himself.

He sits up and stretches again, slumping forward with a soft noise at how nice it feels. When he looks at Sidon, he finds there’s a blush dusting Sidon’s cheeks as he looks back at him and it makes him feel warm to see it. Even after everything he’d said the night before, all the shameful guilty things he spends so much time trying to hide, Sidon still looks at him as if he’s someone desirable, someone lovable, and the comfort that brings…Link isn’t sure how to name the feeling. He’s glad for it though.

He crawls over to his own pack and opens it, digging through his items for the necklace Sidon made him. He puts it on and looks down at his women’s clothing inside the pack. After a moment of hesitation, he pulls out the top, standing up and stripping out of his tunic and pulling the top on instead. Part of Gerudo clothing that’s appealing is the fabric too, not just the gendered aspects that he attaches to it. It feels nice on his chest, and here with Sidon on the Great Plateau where no one will have any interest in them, he can indulge himself all he likes without it meaning anything at all.

That, too, is nice.

He packs up the rest of his clothing including the Zora suit and helps finish dousing the fire with water followed by a heap of dirt to smolder any of the remains. Sidon slings his own pack up over his shoulder and grabs his spear next before looking at Link.

“The necklace looks nice on you,” Sidon says.

Link smiles. “Thank you. I’m…I’m going to try to do what I want today.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I wanted to wear this top even if it’s a woman’s top, so I did. And I wanted to wear your necklace, so I did. I’m…doing what I want without worrying about what anyone might think and that…” Link takes a deep breath, steadying himself. “And that’s okay.”

Sidon smiles at him so enthusiastically Link almost laughs. “Yes! It is okay!”

He half expects Sidon to launch into a monologue, but he doesn’t, instead setting off into the woods the wrong direction. Link catches up to him and nudges him back the right way and they set off together through the forest. It’s odd, how much lighter he feels. It’s as if a cloud of guilt has finally drifted away, except he’d never even realized how long the cloud had been hanging around in the first place.

He tries not to get his hopes up. As lovely as he feels now, he’s not naïve to how feelings of doubt and uncertainty can creep back in, but he feels nice now. He doesn’t want to waste time bracing himself for the downswing when he knows he’ll be able to handle it just fine when it happens. All he really wants is for more days to feel like today does.

It’s still early in the morning when they break free from the tree line and enter the courtyard ruins before the Temple of Time. At least, he thinks it’s a courtyard. There’s a large fountain, and all sorts of half crumbled stone structures that look like they could be the remains of houses or shops. For a long moment, Sidon stands by the fountain and looks up at the temple. Link studies his face, but for once he finds himself entirely unable to read Sidon’s expression.

“You never did tell me why you wanted to come here,” Link says. “You said it a secret.”

Sidon nods. “We spoke before of Ruto and the legends of that time. The Hero of Time is how he’s referred to in those legends, but I’ve never found any record of him in Hylian history. I…perhaps I have not been entirely honest with you, and for that I apologize, but it seems to me as though the truth of what happened was lost. From what I understand…the Hero of Time was sent back to redo life as a child, but if that’s true, then no one remembered what he had done.”

Link frowns and turns to look at the temple. That…seems accurate. It matches up with the few memories he has, the bone deep loneliness of being without Saria and moving through the world alone. “It feels right to me. I can’t say for sure but…he was lonely.”

“It’s like I said last night. We push and pull the both of you, Link and Zelda, through time and reality, send you backwards and forwards at a whim with no regard to what it is you both lose in the process,” Sidon says. “I…I wanted to come here and thank him. Maybe I sound foolish or stupid, but I want him to know someone remembers him and appreciates what he did.”

“Why didn’t you say earlier?”

Sidon shakes his head and starts walking forwards. “I wasn’t sure I ever was going to say. It feels insensitive, especially after learning how many of that Link’s memories reside within you and haunt your dreams, but I…maybe it brings you peace too.”

Link doesn’t know how to respond to that, so instead he follows after Sidon as they make their way past the ruins and broken-down Guardians and up the stairs. It’s overwhelming, in a way. That Sidon has spent so much time pouring over Zoran records and legends simply to know things most people forget touches him deeply. He thinks of what Sidon had said in the Lost Woods, how the sages from that time crop up in so many ways that no one even pays attention to or ponders. It’s unlikely that anyone knows at all about why the name Rauru has been passed down, or Impa. Certainly no one knows of Saria’s Lake but the Great Deku Tree and the Koroks.

In so many ways, the Link from them truly _had_ been forgotten even as the Temple of Time that made it possible for him to save the world still stands as a relic of Hyrule’s birthplace. But Sidon had looked through the Zoran legends and found him. And even more than that, he had made sure to find a way to honor him and remember him in a way that no one else ever had.

“Sidon?” Link asks as they reach the entrance to the temple.

Sidon turns to look at him. “Yes?”

“Thank you,” Link says. “For…I know it’s not for me, but on his behalf I…thank you.”

“You do not have to thank me for this, but you are welcome anyways,” Sidon says. He smiles and reaches out his hand. “Shall we go in then?”

It feels different now as he takes Sidon’s hand and steps through the battered down door. He’s revisited the temple a few times on his own since he last spoke to the spirit of the King of Hyrule here, but he’s never really lingered. It isn’t like the Shrine of Resurrection, which leaves him feeling put off and almost as if he’s in danger, it’s simply just made him feel sad in a way he never felt like examining.

Now, with so much examination of his memories and dreams, and after meeting the Lord of the Mountain, he feels as if he has the perspective for why it is he’s always felt sad being here. After all, Sidon was right. Memories didn’t linger just in the mind, but in the body too, and that sort of loneliness and grief that goes unseen for over ten thousand years…

They make their way through the pews to the front area through the soft grass that sprouts up through the cracks and carpets the temple floor like a rug to the steps that lead up. In his mind’s eye, he can remember a time when these steps were blocked by a door that only moved for the song of time. At the top of the steps, the Goddess of Hylia stands in her statuesque form. The stone floor that lay beneath her has been long overtaken by grass, but the round podium she stands on is still clear to see. Link releases Sidon’s hand and as if possessed, moves forward. The statue isn’t supposed to be there, he knows that now, knows it the way he knows how to fight or breathe, and before Sidon can say anything, he draws the Master Sword and slams it hard against the stone.

For a moment, there’s not a single sound. A crack appears in the statue, then another, and another, the cracks breaking off from each other and crawling their way across the surface of the stone before it shatters from the top down, crumbling into a pile of rubble at his feet. Sidon steps up beside him as he crouches down and begins shoving the rubble away. He tries to figure out the right words to say to make Sidon understand, but they won’t come to him. In the end it doesn’t matter. Sidon trusts whatever it is he’s doing starts moving the rubble away too and together they clear the space of its remnants.

Once it’s clear, they both step back. The remaining small angel statues surround the slightly raised platform where they can clearly see even with the dust and grass the shape of the Triforce, and in its center is a pedestal just like the one that sits in the Lost Woods before the Great Deku Tree. Link steps forward and slides the Master Sword into its place. Perhaps it’s anticlimactic that nothing happens. But it’s what he’d expected too.

“The entrance to the Sacred Realm is gone,” Link says. “It must have been moved, somehow.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is how he moved through time,” Link says. “He would put the sword here and be transported to the Sacred Realm and become a child again, or he’d remove it and move forward in time. I remember that.”

“Someone built the statue to hide it then,” Sidon says.

Link nods. “I’m sure there’s still a way to get to the Sacred Realm, but it’s not through here anymore.”

“Someone really did do their best to hide any sign of who he was or what he did,” Sidon says, and he sounds…angry. “I wish so badly that we were better people. You all deserved better than this.”

Link swallows and looks back at him, pulling the Master Sword free of its now useless pedestal and sliding it back in its sheath. “It’s okay. You’re helping me figure out how to have what he never did.”

“I hate that you say that,” Sidon says with a shake of his head. “It’s not okay. How are you not angry?”

“Why would I be?” Link asks. “It’s…I’ve always known it’s not really a job many people care to praise you for.”

“It’s not right,” Sidon says.

“So?” Link shrugs. “I understand that I’m not just a weapon or a tool to be used to defeat Ganon, but if we are doomed to always fight the same battle, isn’t it better to have two people bear the burden instead of everyone?”

“Burdens are always easier to bear with others,” Sidon says. “Isn’t that the point of the Divine Beasts and the Champions?”

“I…” Link turns back towards the pedestal.

He can see in his head what it’s supposed to look like, the outlines of the medallions of each of the sages ringing the whole pedestal. Medallions full of the sages’ power that gave the Link from then the strength to truly defeat Ganon and allow him to be sealed away once more, at least for a little while. Long enough to buy everyone a little peace. In a way, it is just like the Divine Beasts and the Champions that control them, though there’s less of them. In the confrontations against Ganon, Link has never been alone as far as he can remember, it’s only in the time after that the loneliness creeps back in.

Would it be different if the burden was shared by more people?

“Perhaps you’re right,” Link says. “I…I’m used to this, but when you explain it through your eyes, it does seem wrong.”

“I want to break this cycle,” Sidon says. “I don’t know how. I don’t know if that’s even possible. I just don’t want there to ever be another Hero of Time or Princess Zelda that no one remembers because it is easier to forget.”

Link stares down at the pedestal. “If I’m allowed to be a little selfish…I want that too.”

Sidon sets his pack down and then his spear as well before he sits down before the pedestal and bows his head. After a moment, Link sits as well. He hasn’t ever been all that spiritual, which is perhaps odd given that he carries the power of one of the goddesses in his veins, and he knows that it is not to Hylia or the three goddesses that Sidon is praying too. He thinks maybe it would be a bit odd to pray to himself, so he tries instead to project his thoughts.

_I’m sorry no one ever appreciated you. I know how it feels. I can’t live for you, but I will do what I can to try and end this cycle for good. I promise._

He’s not sure if a promise spoken only in his own head is worth much, but he intends to keep it nonetheless. He understands Sidon’s anger. It is unjust, really, but it’s exhausting to be angry all the time, and before, when the kingdom of Hyrule was preparing for Calamity Ganon, there was certainly no time for him to wallow in an existential crisis about it. It’d been easier to stow his anger away, his grief, everything, so that he could do his best to help them win. But now…now he has time to be who he wants, _do_ what he wants.

And he knows that Zelda must feel the same.

They stay there for a while. Link doesn’t exactly keep track of the time, but even after Sidon looks back up from whatever prayer or meditation he had been in, neither rush to get up. Instead, they shift closer together. Link wiggles his way under Sidon’s arm, resting his head against Sidon’s chest as they gaze upon the pedestal.

“Who do you think hid it? And why?” Link asks.

“I feel as though perhaps the Hyrule royal family has many secrets that they don’t want to be common knowledge,” Sidon says. “Just think of the Lord of the Mountain. There’s a story there, even if we do not know the full one, and I doubt it is a story that would paint the Sheikah or the Hyrule royal family in a positive light.”

“Isn’t it like you said though? As leaders, you do the best you can and hope that it’s the right choice and saves more people than it hurts,” Link says.

“Just because I think that is how Queen Zelda and I both intend to act does not mean all of our ancestors before us have acted in such a way,” Sidon says. “Sometimes, it _is_ wrong to be selfish, especially if that selfishness ends up hurting people unjustly.”

His assessment makes sense to Link. And yet… “I feel like I understand your point of view and anger now, but for me, it still feels far away. Perhaps that is because I am used to it.”

“You don’t have to react the same way I do,” Sidon says. “You can understand it’s wrong without letting it anger you or effect you in a way that’s difficult to cope with. You can leave that to me, hm?”

Link shifts in Sidon’s grip, rising up onto his knees and then taking Sidon’s face into both of his hands before he can even think the actions through. Sidon’s eyes widen, likely from how close they are to each other.

“Thank you,” Link says. “For caring about me, for caring about…for caring about all of me.”

“Link…”

Link can feel it in his chest, the warmth of affection and a love that feels sad if only because even in experiencing an emotion so wonderful he fears that he’ll lose it too. He shoves that fear away in favor of closing his eyes and pressing his lips to Sidon’s. For a moment, neither of them move. The stillness, for once, doesn’t make Link second guess himself. Not when it’s Sidon. Not when the feeling in his chest and spreading with his limbs at the absolute joy of being cared for in such a way is threatening to overwhelm him and spill out through his fingers.

He pulls back, thumbs rubbing across the smooth skin of Sidon’s cheeks. “I’m not just…I didn’t do that because I feel like I owe you or something. I wanted to. I…no one has ever thought about me the way you do and it means so much to me and I love you, I think. I’m sorry. I should probably be more sure but I-“

“It’s okay, I know what you mean,” Sidon says, reaching up to grab one of Link’s hands and remove it from his face but only to hold it in his own. “I understand that sometimes it is hard to label the feelings you experience, but if that is the name you want to give it, I respect your decision.” He smiles, the blush Link has grown to like so much dusting his cheeks. “And I’m happy to hear it.”

And because he can, Link leans forward to kiss him once more, short, but a kiss nonetheless. After, he moves away and stands back up, glancing once more at the podium. He thinks that while he will take Sidon’s words to heart about not living his life the way the Links of then would want to, he will do his best to break the cycle so the Links in the future get to experience more moments like this.

-.-

Getting off the Great Plateau is a bit of an ordeal. Link guides them down past the old Eastern Abbey and then further along towards the cabin to the south. He leaves Sidon to sit near the cabin and with a great degree of reluctance leaves him there and transports himself to his home in Hateno. There, he has some climbing gear that he’d bought Lurelin, sturdy and long cables that he can use to help Sidon down.

When he returns to the Owa Daim Shrine and then paraglides back towards the cabin, he finds Sidon inside flipping through some old books that still sit undisturbed on the table. He stops in the doorway, tilting his head to the side.

“Who lived here?” Sidon asks. “It looks lived in but we haven’t seen a single person up here.”

“It’s almost impossible to get up here,” Link says. “I…now that I think about it, I don’t think any Hylian could, and the Rito don’t really have any reason to come this far anyways. But…the King of Hyrule…his spirit lived here for at least a little while. He helped me figure out the Sheikah Slate and the towers and the runes, but he disappeared afterwards. So I guess it’s his.”

“Hm…”

“What’s in it?” Link asks.

“It seems like a diary. I didn’t read too deeply, but perhaps we should bring it with us. Zelda might want it, if it really did belong to him,” Sidon says.

They stash the journal in Link’s pack and then together head back outsides towards the battlements that make up the perimeter of the Great Plateau. It’s a little tricky, but Link finds a gap for them to slip down, saving them another ten feet or so that Sidon won’t have to climb in the process and it’s only then that he pulls out the climbing gear he’d retrieved.

“It’s not really your size, but it can hold your weight,” Link says. “I figured I’d hold it from up here and you can use it to rappel yourself down. There’s quite a few places you can stop and rest on the way down if either of us need it, or if we have to stop and I have to haul you back up for some reason.”

“This…really is a bit of a trust exercise isn’t it?” Sidon asks.

“The only other way I can think of to get down is to go back to the River of the Dead, but then we’ll have to travel all the way around the Great Plateau on foot,” Link says. “We can do that if you really want to though. Whatever makes you most comfortable.”

Sidon looks at the climbing gear, expression dubious. “I trust you. I don’t know if I trust that.”

“I wouldn’t attempt it if I thought you could really get hurt,” Link says.

Sidon considers the words, and considering their conversation from the night before, Link isn’t surprised that he comes to accept them fairly quickly after that. With how much anxiety Link has at the mere thought of Sidon being hurt, he really would never try this after everything else they’ve been through on this journey. Together, they wrap the harness around Sidon’s waist and then set his pack down beside Link so they don’t have to worry about the extra weight when trying to climb.

Link gathers the cable in his arms in a careful bundle as Sidon sits down on the edge of the stone and then, with a soft word of warning, pushes himself off it. He isn’t as heavy as Link expected. He shifts his feet to better brace and Sidon looks up at him from where he clings. Link nods that he’s okay and Sidon jumps away from the wall again, allowing Link to let more of the cable unwind. It’s slow going, and takes a stamina potion that Link sneaks when Sidon isn’t looking, but it isn’t long before they run out of cable and Sidon unhooks himself from the harness to drop the last ten feet on his own.

He lets out a rough breath, mostly due to exertion, and tosses the cable off the edge. Then, he grabs Sidon’s pack, adjusts them both on his shoulders and flings himself off the edge, opening his paraglider a moment later and floating down to the ground. The downside to his clothing choice is that when he lands, he has red marks in his skin on his shoulders. Sidon frowns when he notices, reaching out and running his fingers over them. The gentle touch makes his skin break out in goosebumps and he shivers, wiggling away as the rest of his skin flushes red up through his neck from embarrassment.

“Sorry. Sensitive,” Link says. “Are you okay?”

“I…yes, actually,” Sidon says. He looks back up at the Great Plateau. “I can’t believe I just did that so easily…I mean it helped that I kept looking straight ahead instead of down, but really, I wasn’t even afraid of falling the way I was when we went across that sorry excuse of a bridge.”

“I’ll find something else to make you jump down then just for fun,” Link says, laughing when Sidon starts shaking his head. “Okay, okay, fine.”

They head off along the narrow strip of land between the Great Plateau and Lake Hylia, the air crisp and cool thanks to the long shadow cast by the Great Plateau even as the sun begins to head towards the horizon. It isn’t until they break free of its shadow that they get to enjoy the last rays of sunshine. That’s also when Link sees Madwebiisaan and Epona milling about on a hill near the road.

He takes a deep breath and then holds his fingers up to his lips to let out a whistle. Epona looks up first, heading towards them without a beat of hesitation, but Madwebiisaan merely looks up and gazes at them before bowing his head back down to continue grazing. Link snags Epona’s reins when she reaches them. He offers her a quick kiss on her snout before taking the lead and continuing towards the road.

“He must be pouting that we left him behind,” Sidon says.

Madwebiisaan does indeed appear to be pouting, his orange tail flicking with distinct irritation as they draw closer. He even jerks his head away when Sidon reaches for his reins.

“Ah, yes, I know, I am a terrible rider to leave you in someone else’s care,” Sidon says. “Please find it in your heart to forgive me now that we are reunited.”

“You’re giving him exactly what he wants,” Link says as Madwebiisaan nuzzles into Sidon’s hand.

“I am not one to argue with someone like our dear Madwebiisaan,” Sidon says.

With Madwebiisaan suitably appeased, they head onwards for the bridge as the sun finishes its descent and the stars begin to appear. It looks like they’ll be right on time for what Link has planned, which is a relief. Still, he can’t let it be a complete surprise given the potential danger.

“The dragon Farosh crosses this bridge at night,” Link says.

Sidon turns to look at him, expression lighting up with joy at the mere prospect and Link has to stop himself from laughing the way he normally does when Sidon gets so excited. “Really?”

“Yes, but we have to be careful. He’s…electrical,” Link says. “These slow moving electrical balls radiate off of him, and they should be easy to dodge but we have to be careful to avoid you getting hurt.”

“It’s alright,” Sidon says. “I have quick reflexes, and I’m not as sensitive as other Zora are thanks to my size even if I do get hit.”

Link’s eyes narrow and Sidon holds up a hand in a pacifying gesture.

“I understand though, I’ll be careful not to get too close. Do you think we’ll manage to get a picture?” Sidon asks.

“Yeah, with how slow they move we’ll have lots of time to set up the shot just right,” Link says.

He looks ahead across the bridge as they pass under the entrance. The usual Lizalfos are nowhere in sight, but Link isn’t exactly surprised to see that with how trade has begun to pick up along this route. He leads them all the way across where they once more leave Epona and Madwebiisaan to graze while Link sets up a campfire and Sidon sets about reorganizing their packs and saddlebags now that everything is together once more.

Link can’t help but like the way they’ve found such a comfortable routine with each other. Even now, even after kissing Sidon and knowing that they’re going to try and have a relationship together, he knows he’s not the person who can settle down for the long haul. But it’s comforting to think about days where they could be together in Zora’s Domain, just existing together the way they do now. Of course, Sidon will likely be busier. Still…it’s nice to think about.

He’s just banking the fire to a lower simmer when the sound of splashing water grabs both of their attention. Link looks up as Sidon races back towards the bridge. As Link follows after him, the air begins to tingle with static and sure enough, when Link comes to stand by Sidon’s side on the bridge, they can see Farosh emerging from the lake and snaking his way into the sky. He drinks in the expression of awe on Sidon’s face, the way his eyes go wide with wonder. It’s humbling to watch.

“I can’t believe how you could ever get used to something like this,” Sion says, voice hushed as Farosh twists through the air, the way his scales dance with the rippling golden energy of electricity standing out stark against the night sky. “This is…this is the dragon that represents the part of the Triforce you control, yes?”

“Yeah,” Link says. “He vanished while I was sleeping, but he seems to appear most nights now.”

Sidon watches Farosh for a few more long moments before he seems to shake himself out of his own stupor. “Oh. Right. The picture!”

Link grabs the Sheikah Slate from his waist and they head closer to the middle of the bridge as Farosh begins to approach them. He manages to take a few good pictures with Farosh moving across the sky in the background and then a few more as he approaches, but eventually the staticky energy becomes too strong for Link’s comfort and he can see the orbs of electricity forming along Farosh’s hide. As the wind picks up, he hurries Sidon back down the bridge from where they came.

Even at a safe distance, Farosh still passes close. Link barely looks at the dragon, much more drawn to the shifting expressions on Sidon’s face as he watches Farosh cross the bridge with smooth undulations and twists. He thinks he’s becoming addicted to giving Sidon new experiences. He finds himself desiring nothing more than to keep dragging Sidon all over Hyrule if only to get to see him go silent with amazement.

“Do you want a keepsake?” Link asks.

“Huh?” Sidon asks.

Link pulls his bow and takes careful aim before letting an arrow fly. It strikes Farosh’s side, light shining as a scale is dislodged and a moment later it shoots free, arcing towards them and landing at their feet. After so many times harvesting scales and shards of their horns from them, he’s gotten pretty good at his aim. Sidon crouches down and picks the scale up as Farosh’s tail crosses the bridge and he begins his descent back into the lake. The electricity crackling at its edges is minimal. Sidon picks it up and holds it up to the night sky, twisting it this way and that to make it shimmer in the bright light of the full moon rising above them.

“Did it hurt him?” Sidon asks, turning to look at Link.

“If it has, he hasn’t complained yet,” Link says. “I take scales and horn shards from them all the time for elixirs and equipment and they never seem to even notice.”

Sidon holds the scale close to his chest as he looks Link in the eye. “Thank you for this. I have so many ways to remember this trip by, but I think this one is the most awe-inspiring. It’s like I can feel…I can feel something from this. It makes me feel strong, just holding it.”

“We’ll make it into a necklace for you,” Link says.

Together, they stand at the edge of the bridge and watch as Farosh disappears beneath the lake. Sidon holds the scale in one hand and warps his arm around Link with the other. The energy and power that had filled the air just moments ago fizzles away as Farosh vanishes, but even still they stand together looking out over the lake as if unable to let the magic of the moment go. There really is something otherworldly about being around the dragons. Even with how many times he’s encountered them, Link can’t deny that there’s something about it that makes him feel so small.

“We’re lucky we actually managed to see him,” Link says as they finally separate from each other and head back towards their camp. “Farosh isn’t like the others. He doesn’t always follow a set path. Sometimes he shows up further south instead.”

“Ah, so he’s like you, hm? A wandering dragon to match the wandering hero,” Sidon says, smiling down at Link.

The words are teasing, and Link can’t help but blush. It feels nice though, to be teased by Sidon. With Sidon, he’s never the butt of the joke, not really, and it makes him feel a little more human. On a whim, he stops beside their campfire and touches Sidon’s arm before popping up on his tiptoes and tilting his head up in what he hopes is an obvious invitation. Sidon gets it.

He leans down and presses their lips together, the hand still holding the scale coming up to cup his cheek. The energy from the scale fizzles and pops between them and Link gasps, and then makes a strange noise when Sidon’s tongue slips against his, wet and thick. He likes it. Likes Sidon, likes the way it feels to kiss him as magical power sparkles over their skin, and likes how small Sidon makes him feel.

It’s a little overwhelming though, so he pulls away before it goes much further. Even so, he ends up shoving his face against Sidon’s cheek, liking the way their skin feels when pressed together. Sidon laughs, a soft and quiet noise as he drops his hand.

“You’re truly such a delightful friend, Link,” Sidon says, the words pressing into Link’s ear. He pulls away and turns back to the fire. “Let’s get some rest, hm?”

Sidon puts the scale away in one of Madwebiisaan’s packs while Link pulls off his bedroll. They sprawl together on top of it and Link falls asleep to Sidon telling him the Zoran legends behind the constellations in the sky.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm hoping to post the rest of this fic so the last chapter is posted the day the new game comes out. the last chapter is about 3k words from completion so this shouldn't be an issue. Everyone's comments have been so lovely and kind and I appreciate all of them! Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

They leave near dawn the next morning, both of them rising naturally with the first rays of sunlight creeping over the horizon. Packing up camp is easy and routine by now. Sidon’s even able to mount Madwebiisaan with ease that Link genuinely didn’t think he’d ever have considering Zora weren’t meant to be riding horses. As they enter the Faron Woods, the oppressive and sticky heat that Link has come to associate with this area of Hyrule creeps over them.

Even in the early morning, the heat is thick and makes sweat break out over his skin, making even the light fabric of his Gerudo style clothing cling to his skin. Sidon, however, seems fine. He glances this way and that at the way hot steam rises up from the ground as the sun begins to shine through the trees and evaporate the rain-soaked forest floor.

“This heat is much more pleasant than the desert,” Sidon says. “It’s not dry at all. I think the Zora could make some nice settlements here.”

“In some of the areas sure,” Link says. “We leave the forest before we reach the areas where it becomes dangerous.”

Sidon looks at him, head tilting to the side. “Dangerous how?”

“Thunderstorms,” Link says. “Big ones too.”

“The trees would draw most of the lightning,” Sidon says. “Though we would have to build our water homes in a way that they were protected from lightning. I’ll keep it in mind and talk it over with my father when we get home. Do you think I could send some Zora with you down here to scout the area and see if it were possible?”

Link nods. “I don’t mind. The area is…a little unbearable for most Hylians I think, but I spent a lot of time here trying to find Spring of Courage so I’m mostly used to it.” He gestures down the road. “If you keep going and then head north, there’s a huge Lizalfos nest and then the Spring of Courage beyond that.”

“Were they guarding it you think?”

It’s an interesting question to contemplate. The Spring of Power and Spring of Wisdom weren’t really guarded in the same way, but why would they need to be. Calamity Ganon’s only real threat was Link, and the Spring of Courage was a representative of his power the same way Farosh was.

“I wonder if the nest is gone now that Calamity Ganon is,” Link says in response.

“It’s worth exploring,” Sidon says.

Link shakes his head. “It’s not a big deal right now, and it’s not something I’m willing to risk with you anyways. They all fought me with shock arrows so if they are still there…”

“Ah,” Sidon says with a nod. “Well, another time then.”

When the road forks, they head south towards the stable. They don’t need to replenish supplies outside fresh water, not when they’ll be reaching the ocean and its plentiful bounty of fish in a few hours’ time. They don’t stable the horses either. That’s mostly because Link knows he wants to stay on horseback. But it also makes him wonder as they continue along their path towards the Menoat River.

“Can you swim in saltwater?” Link asks.

“Yup,” Sidon says. “It’s not somewhere we can live easily – our skin definitely is easier to take care of in fresh water, but we can spend quite a bit of time at sea without any issue. Before the calamity, there were quite a few villages along the coast, but they moved back towards Zora’s Domain once monsters and Guardians started roaming the landscape more often. I’ve never been myself.”

“So it’s not just swimming with sharks that will be new,” Link says.

Sidon blinks. “I…suppose you’re right. I never thought about it like that. Should we go back and add it to the list?”

“We’re almost to the ocean so it seems a little pointless to add it now,” Link says with a smile. “And didn’t we see the ocean by Tarrey Town?”

“That doesn’t count,” Sidon says. “We were too far away.”

“Well you can swim all the way to Lurelin Village if you wanted,” Link says. He can’t help but laugh from the way Sidon’s eyes go wide and he practically bounces in his saddle in excitement.

“I feel so spoiled,” Sidon says.

It takes another hour or so for the grass to give way to sand as the cliffs rise up on either side of them and the Menoat River as they travel alongside it. Link can almost feel Sidon’s excitement when he notices the change in terrain. Before long, the crash of the surf begins to echo through the stones on either side of them, and at that point, Link just leans over and grabs Madwebiisaan’s reins from Sidon’s hands.

“Just get in the river,” Link says. “It’ll be faster if-“

The words are barely out of his mouth before Sidon all but trips off Madwebiisaan’s back and half tumbles into the water. Link can help the way laughter peels out of them at the sight. Sidon vanishes from view under the water a moment later. When he looks down, Madwebiisaan has one large eye focused on him as his tail flicks with irritation.

“Oh come on, he loves you, he just misses the water,” Link says. He drops the reins and clicks his tongue for Madwebiisaan to follow him as he urges Epona to pick up her pace.

They round the cliffs’ edge a few minutes later where the river spills out into the sea and he can see Sidon already far out into the waters splashing around. He pulls his Sheikah Slate from his belt and takes a few photos while Sidon is distracted. It isn’t until Sidon surfaces for longer than a few seconds that he noticed Link and stands up, waving his hand and coming up to the shore.

“The water is so warm here!” Sidon says. “It’s so pleasant, but not as hot as the springs on Death Mountain. It’s quite relaxing.”

“You didn’t seem like you were relaxing,” Link teases, grinning when Sidon’s cheeks flush. “It’s good! I want you to have fun.”

Sidon smiles back and then leans down to press his lips to Link’s forehead. He’s getting used to Sidon’s casual affection rather quickly, his chest warming with affection at every instance of it. He’s sure his own cheeks match Sidon’s now.

“W-We should keep moving,” Link says. “It’s a long way to Lurelin Village.”

“Are you alright walking along the shore?”

Link nods. “We’ll keep pace with you.”

Sidon splashes his way back into the water and Link focuses Epona and Madwebiisaan both ahead. Their pace remains slow and lazy, and before long, Link finds himself stripped down to his swimming shorts so he can easily dive into the water and splash around with Sidon a bit before climbing back on Epona. If she minds the water and sand, she doesn’t show it. The sun climbs higher towards noon. With it, the air warms and Link finds himself spending more and more time in the water alongside Sidon as they make their way towards the large tide pool that sits between Puffer Beach and Komo Shoreline.

The lonely feeling that so stubbornly dogs him fades away when he’s lying on Sidon’s chest as he uses his legs to propel them forward through the water on his back. The closeness, the warmth of the sun and water, the steady sounds of Epona and Madwebiisaan’s hooves as they follow them along the shoreline – all sensations that blend together in Link’s mind and leaves him feeling content instead of overwhelmed. He wishes he could convey it, but words don’t seem like enough to describe the feeling.

When they reach the tide pool, they swim in together. Sidon snatches several crabs out of the pool before they can scurry away and Link heads for their saddlebags to find enough materials for a small fire. They crack open the crabs and extract the meat. Link cooks that in a small pan with some butter while Sidon sits in the tide pool, cleaning out the shells to preserve for later use at Link’s request. He knows the villagers in Lurelin like to use them for soup stocks and compost, so there’s no sense letting it go to waste.

Armed with his new wooden utensils from Gerudo Town, Link picks apart the meat and eats straight from the pan while Sidon does the same with one of the forks. The taste is simple but delicious when he takes his time. He’s finding that he quite likes the flavor butter provides to a meal. All in all, he’s feeling quite content as he rinses their utensils as best he can in the ocean just outside the edges of the tide pool.

That contentment is shattered a moment later as he turns back to set the utensils down and Sidon asks,

“Have you ever been with anyone sexually?”

Link freezes and stares at Sidon with wide eyes, dropping the utensils with a clatter. To Sidon’s credit, he looks equally mortified from where he lounges in the tidepool, as if he hadn’t expected his thoughts to actually leave his mouth. Link picks the utensils back up and with his head ducked down, returns to their horses and starts packing the items away.

“You can pretend I didn’t say anything,” Sidon says. “It’s…I’m sorry.”

He swallows, staring down at his hands. It’s embarrassing to talk about sure, but it probably would be smart to get the conversation over with. He finishes packing the items away and returns to Sidon’s side, slipping into the tide pool and forcing himself to look across the way and meet Sidon’s eyes.

“I haven’t,” Link says. “I’m pretty sure when I kissed you, it was my first kiss and I don’t even…I don’t even really um…touch myself often.”

Despite the obvious blush he can see on Sidon’s cheeks, Sidon simply nods. ”Okay. So a lot of this is new for you.”

“What about you?” Link asks.

“Ah well…I have some experience,” Sidon says. “But not much. Enough to know what I like and don’t like, I suppose. I’ve never done anything with a Hylian though.”

It’s sort of a relief to hear that. Of course, Link is aware that it will likely lead to more awkward and embarrassing situations in the future, but he doesn’t find the idea of figuring these things out together to be a bad thing. If he’s going to fumble and explore these things with anyone, he wants it to be Sidon. And if they’re both a little lost well, then they’re just on the same level for once.

When it comes to raw life experience, Link knows he has more of that under his belt than Sidon, but when it comes to the more emotional side of things, and how one interacts with other people, it’s Sidon who has the most experience. It’s worked, he thinks, because they can each teach each other something. They respect each other’s knowledge. With this…with this, they can learn together. They can be uncomfortable together.

Link takes a deep breath and pushes himself through the water so he can settle on Sidon’s lap. Sidon, the flush still obvious in his cheeks, slips his hands down to slide under Link’s ass and pull him up enough in the water that they’re almost level with each other. It reminds him of when they’d taken the pictures together. The casual reminder of Sidon’s strength, coupled with the gentleness and reverence he treats Link’s body with even when Link doesn’t treat himself the same way, sets a low fire of arousal deep within him.

“I want to just…can I kiss you?” Link asks.

“Yes,” Sidon says, voice earnest even if he feels as unsure as Link does.

Link leans up and presses their lips together, the touch soft and simple. Then he does it again, this time framing his lips around Sidon’s bottom one and on instinct, sucking at it just to see what happens. Sidon makes a low noise, his grip on Link’s ass and thighs tightening as he pulls Link a little closer. He’s pretty sure that’s a positive reaction, so he does it again, his own tongue sliding out to slick over Sidon’s lip just to see what it feels like, and what he gets in response is one of Sidon’s hands leaving the water to cup the back of his head.

Sidon kisses him then, still soft, but firm. The ease with which he takes control, slipping his own thicker tongue against Link’s and giving Link something else to suck at makes the arousal spark into something even stronger. He makes an odd noise, something he might be embarrassed by later, and clings to Sidon’s shoulders. The feeling of Sidon’s tongue, wet and warm, filling his mouth as their lips part and reconnect over and over makes his skin shiver in a way he quite enjoys.

On some level, he’d expected their size difference to make things harder to manage. Instead, he finds he quite likes the way he feels a little bit overwhelmed by it. Sidon’s hands, his lips, his tongue, his shoulders, all of it is so much bigger, and even as he feels his lips go slick with their shared spit, he just finds himself filled with the safe feeling of contentment Sidon always manages to instill in him.

“Okay, wait,” Sidon says, his voice a gasp as he pulls away. His hand falls to brace between Link’s shoulder blades instead as he takes a breath. “I’m…going to find myself in a difficult position if we keep doing this.”

Link swallows and glances down into the water. He can’t see anything odd going on between Sidon’s legs, but even with the water distorting the image, he can see it’s obvious his own cock has gotten hard. Oddly, he doesn’t really feel…embarrassed by that. Sidon’s head bumps into his as he looks down too and he exhales, rough, when he realizes the same thing Link has.

“Are you…”

“Yeah,” Link says. This doesn’t feel like any of the other times he’s felt like this. The arousal sparks across his skin and pools in his groin and it feels urgent in a way it hasn’t in the past. “I…can I…”

He looks up and meets Sidon’s gaze. They’re both flushed in their cheeks and it makes Link laugh a little. His laughter makes Sidon smile, his shoulders relaxing as he rubs a large thumb across the base of Link’s neck.

“You said you don’t touch yourself often, right?” Sidon asks.

Link nods. “Yeah. I just…is it too fast if I…”

Sidon shakes his head. “If that’s what you’re comfortable with, I am too.”

He swallows and slides his own hand down to his thigh, even that simple touch making him shiver in the warm water. Even though Sidon can’t see everything clearly, the knowledge that he’s like this in front of him, just from a little touching and kissing, ramps his arousal even higher. After another moment of hesitation, he slides his hand up and grips himself through his swim shorts. The touch startles a noise from him, mouth dropping open. Sidon presses forward again and their lips and teeth knock together in a messy slide, but Link’s beginning to realize he quite likes that mess.

Sidon drinks in the noises he makes with near frantic kisses, his sharper teeth grazing Link’s lips and on one occasion his tongue. It doesn’t hurt, not really. Or maybe it does and he just doesn’t notice from the pleasure singing in his veins as he rubs his cock through his shorts, thrusting up into his hand. The water sloshes around them, up over the rocks and into the sand as he gasps.

“Does it feel good?” Sidon asks as he pulls away. His gaze is dark, hungry in a way that makes Link tremble. It’s not fear. Far from it.

“Y-Yeah,” he says, nodding a few times quick and fast. “It doesn’t…usually…Sidon?”

“It’s okay,” Sidon says, and his big hands are back, one closing around his hip and holding him tight as the other cradles his lower back. “It’s supposed to feel good, it’s just a lot sometimes. You can slow down if you need.”

Link swallows spit, hard, and his mouth drops open a second later as soft noises continue to spill out of him. Perhaps it’s just having Sidon watching him that makes it feel so much better than it had when he was alone, the warm safety of his body and his hands and his gaze wrapping around him like a blanket. It makes him feel secure even with the sensations swamping through him.

Safety and security are as unfamiliar as the pleasure in a way. The feelings enhance the physical sensations to a new level, and it doesn’t take long at all for him to come as he stares into Sidon’s eyes. He feels his eyes slip shut, feels the bite of his own teeth at his lip as he comes. He focuses on the feeling of Sidon’s hands on him as the feeling of pleasure makes him shiver and shake, hips twitching beneath the water as he rides it out. Sidon’s warm and steady grip isn’t just comforting. It prolongs the feeling.

Every press and squeeze of his fingers makes Link jerk with prolonged pleasure until eventually he’s wrapped around Sidon’s torso with his head against his chest as he pants. He feels…a little embarrassed. Even if Sidon hadn’t seen anything too revealing, he did still just come in his arms from kissing and touching himself. But still, the embarrassment doesn’t swamp him or overwhelm him. Perhaps it’s because he’s long since moved past the point of being insecure about how Sidon feels for him, because he knows now that there’s very few things that could make Sidon think less of him.

“Are you okay?” Sidon asks after a moment as Link’s breathing slows down.

“Yeah I’m…I’m really great,” Link says. He pushes himself up so he can look at Sidon, flushing at the obvious adoration in Sidon’s gaze. “Do you want…”

Sidon shakes his head. “I’m alright. It’s…I liked watching you. Next time, if you’re comfortable, perhaps you could watch and I could…”

Link nods. “Yeah I would like that.”

And really, he would. The idea occupies his thoughts as he climbs off Sidon and then shucks his shorts so he can rinse them more thoroughly as well as clean himself off. Once that’s taken care of, he returns to Epona and Madwebiisaan to make sure they’re both set to continue following them from the shore before turning back towards the ocean. Sidon is already back in the ocean, floating on his back.

Link dives back into the surf and swims up to him before popping up out of the water and resting his arms on Sidon’s torso like he had before. When Sidon looks down at him and smiles, he’s relieved to see he doesn’t feel even a little bit awkward after what they’d done together, and he can see from Sidon’s expression that he feels the same way. It’s a little difficult, but he manages to sprawl part way on top of Sidon to sneak another kiss before slipping into the water beside him again.

“We have to keep going if we’re going to make it Lurelin by tonight,” Link says. “Then we can lounge all we want there.”

“A tempting offer,” Sidon says.

They set off again, usually with Link riding along Sidon’s back though on occasion he goes back onto dry land to ride Epona. Their path remans blissfully uneventful, especially considering the amount of ruined and half buried Guardians they find along the shore and even in Sidon’s case, out at sea. Link rejoins him in the water on one such occasion and they peer down into the sea as best they can to where it lurks. It sits on the edge of the drop off from cool white sand to the rockier depths of the proper ocean.

“I wonder why they even came this far,” Link says.

“Perhaps they were looking for you,” Sidon says. “After all, the Spring of Courage isn’t too far north of here, right? If I suspected you’d somehow been saved, that’s where I would send someone to look for you.”

“I’m just glad none of them made it to Lurelin Village,” Link says.

Lurelin had been spared from everything other than a few Bokoblin and Moblin raids, which in the grand scheme of things wasn’t too bad. He hopes eventually the lingering shadow of fear that Calamity Ganon cast over Hyrule will fade long enough for everyone to start sleeping easily once more.

-.-

They don’t reach Lurelin until long after the sun has set and the stars are out. They enter on land, having come ashore nearly an hour ago to continue the trek on horseback, and as nice as spending the day lazing in the ocean had been, Link is glad to be dry again. Given their destination, he sticks to his Hylian clothes instead of the Gerudo ones. He feels less comfortable but it’s a small price to pay for avoiding any curious stares, though he’s generally found the people of Lurelin to be nicer to him about his odd habits than those in Hateno or Kakariko.

They stable their horses up under the palm trees and then head back down along the shore to the inn. Just before they reach it, Sidon comes to an abrupt halt. Link pauses and turns to look at him, and instead finds him staring out across the small bay, past the brightly lit docks of the night market and beyond.

There, in the distance, sits Kilton’s monstrous looking storefront. It makes the bustling noise and smells of sizzling meat of the night market fade away once it has his attention. Under normal circumstances, Link is sure the excitement of the night market would have drawn Sidon’s attention and made him excited. It hadn’t been on Sidon’s bucket list, but the timing is nice. Or…it would be without the ominous specter.

“What is that?” Sidon asks.

“It’s Kilton’s shop,” Link says. “He trades in monster parts and makes a lot of…odd clothing and masks, usually things you can use to blend in with the monsters and sneak past them. He’s…odd.”

“Hm…is he dangerous?”

Link shakes his head. “No. He’s not a threat to anyone. He sets up shop all over for people with similar interests to him. I think more often than not he wants people who would judge him to leave him alone, but I can’t…he _does_ make me uncomfortable sometimes. I don’t know how to describe it.”

“I think I will pass on interacting with him,” Sidon says. “Though I wouldn’t mind looking at the market. I didn’t realize they were open this late.”

“They aren’t usually,” Link says. “The night market vents are usually only when they have a particularly good haul, or if there’s a lot of tourists in the area. I can…um…”

Sidon looks down at him, frowning. “Is everything alright?”

“If Kilton is here, I do have some things I wouldn’t mind selling to him while I have the chance,” Link says. “I can join you in the night market after, if that’s okay?”

“Oh, of course,” Sidon says. “Don’t let me stop you. Should we get our rooms for the night first?”

Link nods and they head up the path to the inn shaped like a large boat. Chessica is at the front desk like normal, flipping through a book and marking down what looks like dates as she checks over a letter on a stack of even more letters. He scuffs a foot on the wood floor as he walks to get her attention without scaring her. She looks up, smiling when she sees him before her eyes go wide as she takes in the sight of Sidon behind him.

“Oh,” she says. “Hello. Who’s this?”

“I’m Prince Sidon of the Zora,” Sidon says, stepping forward and offering a small duck of his head in greeting. “Link here is taking me exploring to all sorts of regions in Hyrule I haven’t been able to visit before. It seems we came at a good time.”

“A prince!” she says, then looks at Link and lowers her voice. “You could have warned me.”

Sidon laughs, the warm sound filling up the space. “No worries, we’ve spent quite a few nights sleeping on the ground, so a bed is all I’m looking for.”

“I have a suite free,” she says, turning and pushing aside the red patterned banner that hangs over a large shelf behind her, revealing an assortment of keys. “Ever since Calamity Ganon was defeated, we’ve been getting all sorts of tourists, so I’ve been redoing some of the boat houses further down the shore as suites.”

“I imagine it’s easier to maintain them with the monsters leaving for good,” Link says.

Chessica turns back to them and offers a key with a number, 107, carved into the handle of it. “It has, truly. The bed in there should be big enough for your comfort, Prince Sidon, and there’s a nice sofa you can use, Link. I’m afraid the ones I have here are a bit too small.”

“Your kindness is truly appreciated,” Sidon says, taking the key. “What’s the price for a night?”

“I…”

The conflict on her face is apparent, as if she doesn’t feel right charging a prince, which is silly to Link because that’s exactly the type of person who should be getting charged. He pulls out two silver rupees and sets them on the counter. For a moment, he thinks Chessica is going to refuse but she nods, seemingly to herself before taking them.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Chessica,” Link says. “I appreciate it. Also, we brought some crabs people can use for stock. Who should we give that to?”

“Kiana will take them, but I know she just went to put the little ones down,” Chessica says. “I can take them and pass them along to her tomorrow.”

They leave the empty crab shells with Chessica and head back out towards the docks with the shop stalls. Link pauses before they reach it.

“Do you want to check the suite first?” he asks.

“Sure,” Sidon says. “We can put our things away and then head back out that way, yeah?”

It’s a good plan. They continue past the market where a row of previously abandoned small homes sit. It’s clear that a few of them are still in disrepair closer to town, but the one marked with 107 at the end furthest from town has a fresh wood finish on the curved walls and when they open the door, they’re greeted with one large room with a gigantic canopy bed facing the sea with a sofa facing the front door but set against the headboard of the bed. There are torch lanterns they can light spaced evenly along the walls.

“I hope you don’t intend to sleep on the sofa,” Sidon says. “That bed looks…very nice.”

Link nods. “I’m not going to pass it up.”

They set their packs down and upon further investigation, Link locates a small room to the left that has a toilet and a shower. It makes sense why they started with renovating the one furthest away if they were going to implement plumbing this far out of the village, but he’s grateful for it. He steps back out into the living room and finds Sidon on the couch, frowning at his pack.

“Why did you change your clothes?” Sidon asks.

“I…”

“Would they really mind it here, if you dressed the way you wanted to?” Sidon asks.

“I don’t…know,” Link says.

“If it was up to you, what would you wear tonight?” Sidon asks.

Link thinks about the necklace he can feel under his clothing, a necklace that’s complimented by his Gerudo clothing. He thinks about how he’d found the clothing so comfortable to wear the last few days, how he’d felt a little more at home in his body even if it was only him and Sidon.

“I’m not trying to pressure you,” Sidon says. “I just think if you want to wear it, you should be allowed to, and if you do, I’ll support you.”

Link steps over towards him and crouches by his pack, opening the top and peering down at the soft silks of his Gerudo clothing. In a burst of courage, he pulls it out and begins stripping out of his own clothing. In no time at all, he’s clothed head to toe in soft silks, including even the veil he’d forgone when he was in Kara Kara Bazaar. When he’s done, he stands in the middle of the living room, lit by the light of the near full moon streaming in through the windows.

Sidon stands and approaches him with the pack full of goods for Kilton, leaning down and pressing a finger to the necklace he made for him. “Beautiful.” He presses a kiss to the top of Link’s head as he passes him the pack and then moves past him towards the front door. “Let’s go then, hm?”

He takes one more deep breath to steady himself and follows after him. They head most the way back towards the village together, but just before they reach the town proper, Link draws away and drifts towards the ocean. There’s a small strip of land that will take him to Kilton. It’s partially obscured by water, but he can just pull his shoes off and go barefoot.

“I’ll see you in the market?” Link asks.

“I’ll be there,” Sidon says with a smile.

They part and Link slips his shoes off, holding him in two fingers as he makes his way through the warm water across the sand to the outcropping that holds Kilton’s eerie storefront. It’s a quick affair to sell of the goods stored in his pack. Things start to go wrong as soon as Kilton starts to make conversation.

“I made something new with a few objects I stumbled across,” he says, digging around beneath the counter where Link can’t see. “It’ll cost you a few mon, but it should be worth it.”

Link’s curiosity shrivels up the moment he lays eyes on the eerie, human shaped mask. It’s a mask that looks like, well, _him_ , and not too far off from the nightmare version covered in malice that tried to kill him. The mask that stares up at him with its glowing red eyes feels much more like a memory than a dream though, and before he can even think of what it is he’s doing, he’s grabbing the thing off the counter and tearing it apart with his bare hands.

Black smoke rises from each rip and tear, and once its suitably shredded, Link tosses it back on the counter. Kilton looks somewhat horrified, but Link doesn’t feel all too sympathetic. Not now. There were somethings that shouldn’t be dabbled in, and the mask he’d torn apart felt all too similar to the empty mask that had once held Majora.

“Do not re-create that, understand?” Link asks, grateful that he can hold his voice steady even with the adrenaline pumping through him.

“I…yes. Yes I understand,” Kilton says.

He doesn’t look happy, but Link doesn’t much care. He’s not exactly friends with Kilton, so he’s not going to sit and discuss what it is he’s upset about. Judging by the smoke, Kilton had gotten his hands on something from the past, something better left forgotten and buried and it’s infuriating that he has to keep fighting for those things to be left alone.

“Where did you find it?” Link asks.

“It was a…” Kilton trails off and Link feels his expression twist into something unfamiliar but judging by the rage he feels he’s sure it’s not pleasant. Clearly, Kilton doesn’t like it because he almost yelps. “It was the Shrine of Resurrection on the Great Plateau! There’s a big…thing…of water in a room. I found it in the water.”

It doesn’t really shock him. There had to be a reason he felt so uneasy there and now he knows. The very chamber that had brought him back to life also hid something dark as well, something that looked like him, a dark figure that dogged the Links of the past and now him too, just as he feared. It’s nice to have his suspicion that such a creature existed somewhere. Whether it’s fate that created it, or a twisted side effect of whatever power the Sheikah had harnessed to resurrect him, it’s something that will have to be dealt with.

“You will not go back there,” Link says.

Kilton nods in response and Link turns away before he can do something violent that he’ll regret. He knows, deep down, that such rage and violence is not _his_ , but rather the influence of the thing he’d touched, and he has no intention of giving into it no matter how much his anger is justified. When he glances back over his shoulder as he continues down the shoreline back to the night market, Kilton’s shop front is gone.

With a shake of his head, he pulls his Sheikah Slate from his waist. It’s late, but he thinks the matter is urgent enough that Zelda will want to know. His fingers are shaking bad enough that it takes him several tries to finally get all the words to show on the screen without any typos and with some degree of coherency.

**_People are entering the Shrine of Resurrection. There’s something in it that I need to take care of that could be dangerous, but I don’t want anyone entering it but me until I do. Can you make sure it’s sealed? I would prefer none of the Sheikah go near it._ **

He hopes she’ll trust his judgment. He hopes she won’t ask any questions when he doesn’t know how to explain everything with his dreams and memories and how now, more than ever, he’s finding himself unable to trust the Sheikah when it comes to their willingness to use powers they don’t understand. If it was just the issue of Majora from over ten thousand years ago, so many years that he’d entered the realm of myth and legend, he could perhaps overlook it. But if Kilton was right and the creature from his nightmares _was_ in the Shrine of Resurrection…

The Sheikah Slate pings in his hands, distracting him from his thoughts. He looks down to see Zelda’s response.

**_Of course. I will go myself tonight. Will you will tell me about what it is you’re worried about when you return?_ **

**_Yes. Thank you._ **

Zelda’s reassurance goes a long way in reassuring him and by the time he arrives at the night market, he finds the anxiety and anger from his interaction with Kilton has faded to a much more manageable level. His fingers trail over Sidon’s necklace as he steps out onto the docks. Its presence helps too.

He finds Sidon speaking with Mubs near her storage boat looking over her selection of rugs. When she sees him, she does a double take. It reminds him, suddenly, of what he’s wearing, and he’s grateful for the veil that hides the obvious blush he can feel burning his cheeks. If she finds it odd, she doesn’t say so, only smiles and continues what she’d been saying to Sidon.

“I can definitely arrange for anything you like to be sent to Zora’s Domain if you can’t take it with you,” she says.

“Do you have any of the lau lau for sale?” Link asks.

“Ah yes!” she says. “I’ll grab some for you while your friend decides on a rug.”

Link turns to Sidon, watching him as he continues to look between a variety of woven and dyed rugs in blues and purples. “Any of them catch your eye?”

“I think the purple one,” Sidon says. “It would match well with the decorations I have in my room at home I think. Would you like one as well?”

Link shakes his head. “I don’t need one, though I…” He sees a small throw pillow in a similar color to the rug Sidon is eyeing. “I might buy that.”

“You buy the food, and I’ll buy the rug and pillow,” Sidon says.

“Deal.”

They arrange with Mubs to have the rug and pillow sent to Zora’s Domain and then she hands them each a small bowl with a ball of green taro leaves wrapped together with a string. Before they head off down the docks, Link searches through his pack for their preferred utensils. Once they’re set, they walk through the rows of shops. He watches Sidon out of the corner of his eye as he unwraps the taro leaf to reveal the mixture of pork and fish inside.

“They slow cook it in underground ovens in the sand,” Link says.

“I am truly in awe of the different ways people all over Hyrule cook and prepare their food,” Sidon says around bites of food. “The method of infusing flavors in such interesting ways that make the same ingredients come together in an entirely different way is fascinating to me.”

“Maybe if the royalty thing doesn’t work out you can be a chef,” Link says.

He sneaks some of the food under his veil and chews. Sidon is right. Fish is something they’ve eaten a lot of on their trip, and yet the spices and cooking methods of this fish make it taste entirely different than the fish they’d had in Rito Village or the simply prepared Stealthfin in the Lost Woods.

“Thank you, by the way,” Link says. “For teaching me how to um…”

“Savor food?” Sidon asks with a smile as he looks down at Link.

Link nods. They finish their food, peruse a few more shop fronts though they don’t make any more purchases, and then meander their way back towards Mubs to hand over the bowls. By the time they leave the night market, Link feels like he’s on the verge of falling asleep. Still, after being in the sea all day, he wants to use the shower that their suite has to really wash away all the salt that seems to cling to him. It’s been a while since he got to get completely clean instead of just using soap in a river or stream.

And he thinks perhaps he should talk to Sidon about Kilton and the creature that apparently has taken up residence in the Shrine of Resurrection. Or perhaps, it had always been there. Perhaps the thing that sustained his life and allowed him to recover was the very thing that has haunted him through thousands of lifetimes. The thought isn’t very comforting. Either way, it doesn’t seem right to withhold the information from Sidon, even if discussing his nightmares in detail isn’t something he’s all that thrilled about doing.

He considers his words as he lets the warm water and soap wash away the salt and grime of the day. After, when he’s pulled on his shorts and his undershirt to wear to bed, Sidon takes his place in the bathroom. He doesn’t exactly fit, but he’s able to wash off the salt that clings to him as well with Link’s help, and Link finds that comforting in a way too. Touching Sidon in such an intimate way, even if there’s no goal for it to become something more, brings him a great degree of satisfaction that he doesn’t quite know how to describe.

“Remember back on the Great Plateau and you asked if we could go to the Shrine of Resurrection?” Link asks as Sidon dries off.

“Ah yes. You said the place makes you feel uneasy,” Sidon says.

“Right…” Link moves towards the bed, sitting down on the edge of it and looking out at the ocean through the open windows. The wind rolling in from the sea makes the curtains at the sides shiver. “When I talked to Kilton, he showed me a mask he’d made using the power of something he found in the water that sits in the shrine itself. That water is where I woke up.”

“Oh…” Sidon sits beside him, close enough that their arms and thighs brush. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Those nightmares I’ve been having, I think they might be connected,” Link says. “I dream of a creature made of malice that looks just like me, but I remember…the Link from then, the Hero of Time…he fought something similar when freeing Princess Ruto I think. It looked like the mask Kilton made.”

“Like you?”

Link shakes his head. “It’s not quite a match, but I would say it’s just like that Link, just…all black with red eyes instead.”

“What do you remember about it?”

“I remember it came from his reflection in the water and that when they fought it…it kept getting stronger,” Link says. “And in my nightmares, it infects me or kills me or…it’s just violent.”

“No wonder you feel repulsed by that location then, if that’s where it is,” Sidon says.

“I told Zelda to seal it off until I could investigate it,” Link says, looking down at his lap where his fingers twist together and unwind only to twist up again. “It’s not even just that though…”

“Hm?”

“I’m not upset that it…that it exists,” Link says. “I’m upset that it was used that everything I…that I everything I experience, bad or good or whatever, it all just becomes something for everyone to use or discard whenever they like!” He gets to his feet, the nervous anger roiling in him burning away his earlier exhaustion. He paces in the small confines of their room, dull nails biting at his own fingers and hands. “The good deeds were cast aside and forgotten. Majora, whoever he was, was put in a mask and left for whoever could find it, this creature that shows up throughout my lives is used as some sort of mask for power. Even my own memories and deeds from a hundred years ago I have no ownership of!”

“Link-“ Sidon’s voice, for once, does nothing to calm him.

“Do you know how many times I had to listen to things I’d apparently said or done even though I had no recollection of it?” Link asks, and he hates how hurt Sidon looks because he’s not mad at Sidon, he’s mad at everyone else. “I failed and got Mipha killed. I treated Revali so terribly that he hated me, apparently, because I don’t remember why he disliked me or what I did to him. I walked through Hateno Fort and it’s crawling with Guardians I failed to defeat and people talk about all the lives that were lost because I failed and how Zelda is suffering because I couldn’t pull it off, and I just have to sit there and take it all on because everyone knows me better than I know me and-“

He whirls away again, scratching at his own forearm like it will somehow shut him up. It seems to work. The shock of pain reorients him and he crouches down by the window, resting his forehead against the frame.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m not mad at you. I just…Zelda won’t talk to me about it. About how I died, or almost did. Even if she did, she’d just be one more person telling me what happened even when I can’t tell if she’s right or not. I just want…I just want everyone to leave me and my memories alone.”

Silence follows once he’s done talking. He pushes his head against the window frame hard enough to make the wood bite at him even though it’s been sanded down and finished. It’s strange, how easily the words coming flowing out of him despite his distress. It’s like seeing that mask, knowing what it represented, knowing that Kilton saw something that nearly destroyed him and thought to make it into a neat trinket, all of it had been like ripping a bandage off a wound he hadn’t even realized was festering for months.

“I don’t know if we will ever be able to change society enough that they stop taking everything you and Zelda offer us for granted,” Sidon says, his voice soft from behind him. “But I meant it when I promised that I’d break this cycle. I don’t think that’s really comforting to hear right now though, is it?”

Link shakes his head because it’s all he can think to do. He doesn’t know what would help. Sidon steps up beside him, but he stays standing, staring out at the sea.

“I’m sorry that no matter where you go, people only see you and your past and your trauma as a tool or weapon. I’m sorry that you carry the burden of how others see you without being able to dispute it,” Sidon says. “I hope that one day you can feel secure enough in who you are that you can push those views away and see yourself how you want to. And…for what it’s worth, you are not a failure.”

“But I-“

“No, Link. A person does not fight until he’s on death’s door to buy the world more time because he is a failure and I _will not_ allow you to speak of yourself in such a way in front of me. You took on the words of people who don’t know you because you had no other foundation to build yourself on,” Sidon says, his voice firm. “If you do not feel you know yourself enough to refute those who have spoken so poorly of you, then perhaps you can build upon my words instead. See yourself how I see you until you feel you know yourself better.”

“And how do you see me?” Link asks, his voice grating in his throat.

“I see you as someone who tries so hard and cares so deeply even when no one Is watching,” Sidon says. “I see a person willing to die to save the world not just once but twice. I see a person willing to revisit the places he lost his friends to a darkness no one could hope to beat alone and face his own trauma to set them free. That is…Link, that takes strength very few people have, and I’m not talking about physical strength. I’m talking about strength of the soul, of the spirit. The kind of strength that makes a person who they are.”

Link shifts and looks up at Sidon, swallowing hard when he sees the depths of Sidon’s sincerity. “You see all that when you look at me?”

“Every time,” Sidon says. He extends a hand down, pulling Link up to his feet when he takes it. “So you see why I have no interest in entertaining the idea that you are a failure.”

“You shouldn’t put me on a pedestal,” Link says. “I’ll just let you down.”

Sidon nods. “I’m sure you will. I’ll let you down too undoubtedly, but that doesn’t mean either of us are failures. No one gets through life without a few mistakes, especially when they carry such heavy burdens. But I promise you this. I will never abandon you for a mistake.”

“You can’t promise that,” Link says. “What if it’s-“

“You can spin whatever scenario you wish, I will not change my mind,” Sidon says. “The world almost ended once a hundred years ago. There is no bigger catastrophe than that. I’m not leaving you – not unless you want me to.”

“I want you to stay,” Link says, and maybe that’s another part of it all. The anger and rage at having his life and memories used for the gain of others and discarded when it’s no longer useful, the fear of a mistaking resulting in the tentative peace he has now being taken away, the grief that the cycle could continue…it all curdles together in a sick feeling that poisons him just as the malice does.

“Then I’m staying,” Sidon says. “Come to bed with me?”

Link nods, then inhales with a sharp noise when Sidon sweeps him off his feet and carries him back to the large bed. They curl together beneath the lightweight linens. Link lets Sidon drain the fury and sadness away with a soft touch and the sound of his voice humming a familiar lullaby.

-.-

When Link wakes up, it’s the sound of Sidon’s voice murmuring, quiet and low from the other side of the window. He rolls out of bed, feet falling silently on the wood floor, and then he steps over to the window, peering out it as he wipes at his bleary eyes to see Sidon standing in the shallow waters of the ocean as the dark forms of sharks circle around him. Their tails glow like the luminous stones that make up Zora’s Domain.

Link has seen them a few times, always from a distance. The people of Lurelin Village had reverence for the sharks, the kind that comes from fear of their strength and power but also the awe of those traits as well. As such, he’d never been inclined to get in the water with them. Seeing the way Sidon smiles as they but their heads against him, Link assumes that Zora have a different relationship with such creatures.

He says as much, keeping his voice pitched low so as not to startle Sidon or the sharks.

Sidon looks back at him, offering a smile for him too. “It has been a long time since the Zora lived by the sea, but it is said when the world was flooded and swallowed by the Great Sea, it was the sharks that taught us how to swim in the deep. Perhaps they are friendly because they remember.”

“What if they bite you?” Link asks.

“My hide is too thick for their teeth,” Sidon says. “I’ll be fine.”

One of the sharks, a long beast with an impressive set of jaws that flash in the moonlight as it rises out of the water, bumps its head into Sidon’s waist hard enough to knock Sidon back a bit. Link watches in shock as Sidon grins and then…tackles the shark. They roll around in the water, their forms twisting beneath the water as they splash around until finally Sidon emerges, laughing as the shark continues to thrash around him. Some of the smaller sharks had slipped away during their play fighting, but they swim back now, circling a little closer and going back to rubbing against Sidon’s legs.

Link hops over the windowsill enough that he can sit on it, though he’s mindful of keeping his legs and feet far away from the water as he does so. While the sharks seem quite happy to…play fight…with Sidon, he’s not sure he’ll be extended the same courtesy of not being viewed as prey. Sidon doesn’t seem to mind that he keeps his distance. Instead he drives beneath the water and swims with the glowing sharks in the shallow water, nearly blending in with them in some cases thanks to the darkness of the pre-dawn sky.

There’s something soothing about watching them. The obvious happiness and joy in Sidon’s face when he surfaces and then sinks back into the water to play makes something in his chest feel warm, and he can’t help the smile on his face as he watches. It feels silly, to be so overjoyed at seeing Sidon be happy. But maybe that’s what love is, at the end of the day. It’s being there for each other when things are hard, sure, but it’s also this…this moment of peace watching someone he loves giving himself fully over to his own joy.

Sidon may be learning a lot about Hyrule, but Link thinks he’s learning a lot too.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More sexual content in this chapter as a forewarning
> 
> Also I'm so excited to have this done! Currently I'm in the last few paragraphs of the last chapter. It should be posted tomorrow barring any sort of craziness going down between then and now. Thank you so much for continuing to read and support! Your comments and kudos make me so happy :D

They get a late start out, spending more time swimming in the bay together and chatting with Mubs and Chessica both. Then Kiana’s kids find them and get excited about seeing a Zora for the first time, and a prince at that, so naturally they spend time in the bay together with Sidon carting them both around at the high speed only a Zora can match while Kiana and Link watch from the dock. She yells for one of her kids to be careful as he stands up on Sidon’s back but it doesn’t seem to do much good.

“It’s good of you to bring him here,” Kiana says.

“Hm?”

“People here…we’ve been spared much of the brunt of Calamity Ganon’s might. It’s hard to convince some of them we can venture out and begin trading with other towns at a greater frequency,” Kiana says. “Seeing Prince Sidon…it makes people curious. It makes them want to leave and explore, even if that exploration isn’t permanent the way our homes and traditions are.”

“I’m glad then,” Link says. “Zelda…Queen Zelda is sending bounty hunters to help clear out monster nests, so it will only get safer as the weeks go on.”

“Is this traveling with Prince Sidon official business as well?”

Link hesitates, unable to help but remember the man in Tarrey Town and how aggressive he’d gotten over Link not cleaning out monster nests. Kiana isn’t aggressive of course. Still, it’s hard to relax enough to be honest with her. He thinks about the night before and how angry he’d been, how tired he’d been of the way people picked apart his life and expected things of him, taking what they wanted and discarding what they didn’t. He can be honest with Kiana. And if she’s bothered by it, that’s her problem, not his.

“No, it’s not official,” Link says. “We’re just doing something fun because we both wanted to.”

“That must be nice,” Kiana says with a smile. “The Zora had to deal with one of the Divine Beasts going rogue near their home, didn’t they?”

Link nods. Even now, Sidon downplays how serious the situation had been. Perhaps it was just something he did as prince to keep his people calm, but he’s sure he wouldn’t take too kindly to it becoming well known that the Zora were almost wiped out and needed help from Hylians to survive. Working together was one thing, but being entirely dependent on outside help might have hurt the pride of the Zora more broadly.

After all, it had been apparent Sidon reaching out for help had been more of a personal decision and not one well accepted by many of the elders.

“Where are you headed next?” Kiana asks.

“Hateno,” Link says. “We should probably leave soon.” He glances up at the sky towards the sun which is rapidly approaching noon time.

“You round up the prince and the kids then,” Kiana says as she stands. “I’ll get you both some lobster bisque soup for you to take with you, okay?”

Link nods. “Thank you.”

They end up leaving a little past noon with two flasks full of warm soup to have on their journey. This time, Link wears his normal Hylian clothes. He’s grateful for it as they trek up through the mountains and the warm air of the Lurelin coastline gives way to something a little chillier. They won’t be ascending high enough to get properly cold, but the Gerudo clothes are still too cold to be comfortable, and now that he’s thinking about it more, he doesn’t think he would even want to wear them.

It’s hard to pin down the feeling really. The subtle shift from feeling like Link the man to Link the…something else, is hard to pin down, but he knows at least for the moment, he feels like Link the man. Just another thing he can put down as a lesson Sidon has taught him. Though, he isn’t sure how such a lesson will be useful in the long run. Sure the people of Lurelin hadn’t really batted an eye, but he’s sure if he shows up to the castle in feminine finery he would…well. There’s no reason to indulge in thoughts of a scenario he wouldn’t let happen in the first place.

“So where is it we’re headed next?” Sidon says after nearly an hour of traveling.

“Hateno,” Link says. “It’s where I have my house.” He frowns and then looks over at Sidon. “You really let us travel this long even though you didn’t know where we were going?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Sidon asks. “Link, it’s been nearly two weeks traveling together and you have yet to lead me astray. Why would I not trust you?”

“But I…”

“The snowfields and the River of Death were uncomfortable, undoubtedly,” Sidon says. “But neither were a situation where I was close to death. Is it really shocking to you even now that I trust you to take care of me?”

“I sort of freaked out…I’ve sort of been freaking out this whole time really,” Link says, turning his gaze back down to his hands and watching as his fingers begin to twist and curl around the reins.

“Experiencing emotional turmoil doesn’t mean you’re unreliable or not to be trusted,” Sidon says. “We all experience those things, and sometimes it makes us make a fool of ourselves, but it doesn’t make us bad people or incompetent. So yes, I feel quite safe with you leading me wherever you see fit.”

The words are reassuring to hear. Whenever the shame of crying or being emotional bubbles up within him, Sidon never hesitates to push it away with a stern word of reminder.

“Thanks,” Link says.

“I am excited that we’re heading for your home,” Sidon says.

“It’s not really home, I don’t think,” Link says, the words leaving them before he can think about how bad they sound. As they crest the small ledge and begin to head through the shallow waters of Keya Pond, he debates if he’s comfortable elaborating on the matter just yet. It’s not like he really has any reason to hide his feelings after all. “It’s just that it…nowhere really feels like home to me, not really. It’s a house, and it has some of my things, but the people there are…”

He doesn’t want to speak ill of them, but they do look at him strangely, even more so than the rest of the people in Hyrule. There’s almost something judgmental about him. Perhaps it has something to do with the history of the place, considering many of them are no doubt descendants of those who fell at Fort Hateno when he’d failed the first go around. Even if they didn’t have the same raw wound the way some of the Zora did who had all still been alive a hundred years ago, it doubtless contributed to the way he was viewed.

“I don’t think they like me much,” Link finishes. “Except Bolson. He hangs out a lot in my front yard.”

“He does what?” Sidon asks.

“I don’t think the villagers like him much either,” Link says. “He’s really quite flamboyant, and Hateno is a pretty um…traditional place I guess? Last time we talked, he was thinking of going on a journey, but I’m not sure if he ended up doing it. I don’t mind him sitting there either way. He’s nice.”

“Why do you stay there then?” Sidon asks.

“I…”

It was a good question. He hadn’t ever really considered it before, though he supposes that makes sense. Until recently, he hadn’t exactly been staying home for longer than a night, so the fact that many of the villagers didn’t seem all too inclined to be his friend never bothered him. Now…he doesn’t really want to leave either.

“I think I lived there before,” Link says. “It feels familiar, and Bolson said the person who owned it died at the battle at Fort Hateno and never came home. I’m drawn to it, even if I don’t really have any memories of it, and it’s far enough away from the town center that no one ever comes by except Bolson.”

“Ah, I see,” Sidon says. “Then don’t let them take it from you. You deserve to call wherever you want to home, whether or not they like it.”

“They mostly leave me alone,” Link says. “It’s just…they look at me sometimes, that’s all.”

Sidon falls silent as they head through the grassy terrain further north of Keya Pond and for a while, Link thinks that’s the end of the conversation. Until-

“It bothers me so much,” Sidon says.

“What does?” Link asks.

Sidon pulls on Madwebiisaan’s reins, halting their progress just before the trees that guard some ruins Link has never really identified. The Moblins that had once inhabited the area are nowhere to be found.

“That so many people hold these things against you,” Sidon says. “And that you hold them against yourself. Remember when we left Rito Village? You asked me if you’d failed, but you never finished your question. But you meant…you meant to ask if you’d failed when you died and Calamity Ganon won a hundred years ago, didn’t you?”

“It’s like you said though,” Link says. “It wasn’t on just me. All of us failed.”

“But you still think you failed,” Sidon says. “And those people in Hateno who look at you like that, they think that too, and I know many of the Zora thought so for a long time as well, but you _didn’t_ fail.”

Link shakes his head. “I don’t…I don’t remember how I died, so I don’t know the specifics of how, but I did fail. If I hadn’t, none of us would be in this situation.”

“It’s not a failure!”

He’s never heard Sidon sound so angry before. After a moment of hesitation, he urges Epona closer so he can reach out and touch Sidon’s forearm. “What’s bothering you? I don’t understand.”

“The way people look at the past and say it’s your failure, as if any of us facing the same burden wouldn’t have also failed ourselves,” Sidon says. “I don’t see it as a failure when no one could have expected a different outcome.”

“That’s a nice sentiment,” Link says. “But I don’t remember how I died. Zelda is probably the only one who remembers, and maybe Impa, though she never seemed inclined to talk to me about the matter.”

“It doesn’t bother you? To see yourself as a failure?” Sidon asks.

Link draws back, thinking over the words. “No, I don’t think so. I mean…it does, but it doesn’t? I don’t know if I could have avoided failing, but I’m still…I feel guilty when I think about the fact that I let so many people down.”

“But you didn’t-“

“I did, Sidon,” Link says, hating how abrupt his own tone is. “I know you…I know you’re trying to make it better, and I know you’re saying it from a good place, but I did let people down. How much of that blame falls solely on my shoulders I don’t know, but this isn’t something where I need to erase all the guilt. I should own some of it. I just don’t know how much yet.”

Sidon’s expression doesn’t seem comforted by Link’s explanation, but it’s the best he can offer. “I wish I could take away all your burdens.”

“I know, and I appreciate it,” Link says. “But it’s okay. And I’ll be okay too.”

“I’m sorry, I must have come across as rather pushy,” Sidon says. “I let my concern overshadow your own feelings on the matter.”

Madwebiisaan tosses his head and starts walking again, tail flicking up high enough to slap at Sidon’s leg. Sidon and Link exchange a look before both laughing.

“Your point is made, I understand,” Sidon says, patting Madwebiisaan’s neck. “I’ll avoid it in the future.”

As they ride, they sip the soup Kiana prepared for them and shortly after passing through the small wood reach the road that will take them to Hateno Village. In the distance, the peak of Mount Lanaryu where the Spring of Wisdom lies rises high above them, scraping at the clear sky.

“That’s where the last dragon is, right?” Sidon asks. “Naydra?”

“Yeah,” Link says. He puts his now empty flask back in one of the saddlebags. “She was covered in malice and slumped over on the peak when I reached the top of the summit, and I had to purge the malice from her so she could roam freely again.”

“Do you think it had to do with Zelda being trapped with Calamity Ganon?” Sidon asks.

Link nods. “Probably. If Farosh vanished when I was in the Shrine of Resurrection, it would make sense that what happened to Zelda impacted Naydra as well. She actually passes pretty close to the Zora Domain sometimes, so we could probably arrange for you to see her too.”

“Maybe another time,” Sidon says with a small laugh. “I’m still not too keen on the cold right now.”

Even though they can see the tops of the taller buildings from Hateno Village from the trail, they’re still quite a ways away. The tops of the buildings disappear behind trees and cliffs as the trail leads them down into Midla Woods, the dense forest cover keeping the sun from fully reaching them and casting them instead in a light green glow. It feels peaceful, and despite their earlier tense conversation, Link feels…fine. So often confrontations with others throughout Hyrule have left him feeling off-center and guilty, sometimes back tracking entirely from what he said even if he still meant it just to get the ugly feeling to go away.

But with Sidon, he’d felt perfectly fine standing his ground. Sidon gave him the space to disagree and assert his own feelings without making him feel bad about it. It makes him wish they could keep doing this forever, traveling around Hyrule and exploring just for fun, but he knows such a thing isn’t truly possible. Sidon has responsibilities, and even if he didn’t, he couldn’t climb mountains and brave extreme temperatures the way a Hylian could, and frankly, as enthusiastic as Sidon has been, Link knows he’s not really a wanderer. This sort of life is something to do on occasion for him.

His dedication and love of his people would always come first. It’s admirable. It’s one of the reasons Link thinks he loves Sidon as much as he does, and it’s probably that capacity for dedication and love that makes him such a good friend to Link in the first place. Still, it’s fun to fantasize about a life where they could wander together forever. It reminds him of Majora in a way. He was alone together with the Fierce Deity. And Link, for just a few weeks, got to be alone together with Sidon.

Perhaps he’s getting a little ahead of himself. There are still a few days left after all, before they’ll circle back towards Zora’s Domain. Regardless, it’s hard to ignore the fact that their journey is starting to come to a close, and that knowledge makes him want to cling to Sidon all the tighter.

The trail begins heading up again as they head east, and finally the gate leading into the village appears.

“Do you want to speak with anyone or just head for your place?” Sidon asks.

“You wanted a specialty dish from every town, right?” Link asks, glancing over at him.

“Sure, but I don’t mind just eating whatever you want to cook either,” Sidon says. “I’m more interested in your comfort than a special meal.”

“Um…then yeah, let’s just go to my place.”

Link dismounts from Epona and Sidon follows suit as they pass under the gate. It’s impossible not to attract attention given Sidon’s size and also purely because he’s a Zora and it’s likely been a solid century since they last walked around Hateno. Still, the people of the village acknowledge them with a simple nod and continue about their business. That alone makes Link feel more grateful to them.

He leads them up the hill towards the bridge that will take him to his house. Bolson, for once, is nowhere to be found. Perhaps he really did go on the journey he was always talking about, but in the end it didn’t really matter. Link’s just grateful he can continue to have Sidon to himself. Maybe that’s selfish, but if he’s learned anything on this trip it’s that he’s allowed to feel that way sometimes.

“Link, look,” Sidon says.

Link stops and looks in the direction Sidon’s pointing, taking in the sight of the setting sun as it descends between the Dueling Peaks and the Peak of Awakening, casting the sky in deep oranges and yellows and reds. He’d never realized that his home had such a view. More often than not, he just hurried across the bridge and inside to collapse onto the bed for a few hours before heading off again. Now that he stops and really looks…it is quite beautiful.

They leave their mounts by the small stable area to graze and head towards the edge of his property where the grass turns to rock and drops back off towards Midla Woods. Sidon sits first, and before Link can move, he grabs Link’s arm and tugs him down right into his lap. His sword hilt jabs Sidon’s chest, but Sidon just shifts him enough to tug his equipment off and set it in the grass beside him before tugging Link back further into his grip.

“I like that,” Link says without thinking.

“Hm?” Sidon asks.

“Um…” Link feels his cheeks heat and finds himself grateful that he’s looking out at the sun instead. “The way you just uh…move me like that. Like it’s not a big deal. I like it.”

“Ah,” Sidon says, and he can hear how flustered Sidon is. “I’m glad.”

He shifts back and rests his head against Sidon’s chest and they watch as the sun continues its trek downwards. Far in the distance they can see Vah Medoh as well.

“It really puts in perspective just how large the Divine Beasts are,” Sidon says, voice soft. “How many days travel away from Rito Village are we?” Sidon asks.

“About a week probably,” Link says. “Maybe more, depending on the pace you take.”

“And yet still, Vah Medoh looks so large,” Sidon says. “It’s not often I feel small.”

“This makes you feel small?” Link asks, tilting his head back even though it just lets him look at Sidon’s chin. “What about when we fought Vah Ruta?”

Sidon looks down, the fins on the side of his face brushing Link’s cheeks as he does so. “I had you there. You have a way of making me feel like I’m stronger and more powerful than I am, and the adrenaline rush certainly helped. Here…you’re here too, but you aren’t a warrior like this. You’re just Link.”

The way he says it, and the way he looks at Link when he does, makes Link feel like he’s anything but ‘just’ something. Though, that’s likely what Sidon means. Just Link means far more to both of them than a savior or a warrior or a fighter.

“We should head in,” Link says, his voice feeling soft and tight. 

Sidon leans down and presses his lips to Link’s forehead before he nods his agreement. They head back towards the stable area and together strip down Madwebiisaan and Epona of their gear, giving them the space and time to frolic and roll in the grass as they get their hay nets around. It’s funny to watch as Madwebiisaan walks, ever stoic and mature, towards the grassy space Epona rolls around in, and after a brief moment of contemplation, throws himself down beside her and wiggles like a dog to scratch his own back.

If he notices Sidon and Link’s laughter, he doesn’t seem to mind. Link puts their saddle blankets in a bucket of soapy water to soak so he can hang them both up to dry in the early morning and then, together, he and Sidon head into the house. Sidon builds up the fire in the hearth on the far left wall with a little instruction from Link, and before long they have a stew simmering in a pot above it.

“My bed is too small for the both of us,” Link says. “But I have enough blankets that maybe we can make a bed together on the floor?”

“I can also sleep in the pond you have out back,” Sidon says.

Link shakes his head. “I want…I want you here.”

Sidon smiles, his cheeks flushing red. “Then I’ll stay here.”

The boxes under the stairs are full of pillows and blankets and other random trinkets and furniture items Bolson gave him to use as he wanted. They make a nice nest together in front of the fireplace after they push the dinner table back against the opposite wall and then Link leaves Sidon to watch the stew as he heads out back to the small attached bathroom and shower. He cleans off and then sneaks in through the window to the lofted area where his bed is. Once he’s changed into a pair of loose-fitting pants and a tank top, he heads back down the stairs to join Sidon.

“You look content,” Sidon says as Link wraps himself in one of the blankets and accepts a warm bowl of vegetable and deer stew.

“I am,” Link says. “I like traveling a lot but I…really like getting clean too.”

“It lets you know you’re safe and home, right?” Sidon asks.

Link nods. It’s a good way to describe it. A shower, a warm meal, and stripping off all the gear and weapons ticks something in his brain and lets him know that he can rest, at least for now. There’s nothing to fight in his home, especially with Sidon at his side. Well…mostly. He glances back towards his lofted area. In the bottom of a drawer is Majora’s mask.

“One second,” he says, handing his bowl over to Sidon and then heading back up to the loft.

He crouches down and opens the bottom drawer, shoving aside shirts, a spare dagger, a half empty sewing kit, and there, the mask at the very bottom. The eyes don’t glow as the Lord of the Mountain’s eyes had, but the colors are still the same. He pulls it out and then steps back down the stairs to rejoin Sidon in front of the fire as he looks down at it, thumbs rubbing over the smooth wood.

“Is this the mask? Majora?” Sidon asks.

Link nods. “It doesn’t feel so scary now that I know…now that I know Majora is somewhere else and happy.”

“You think he deserves to be happy even after tormenting so many people?” Sidon asks.

Link frowns down at the mask and thinks back to what the Lord of the Mountain had said about how his own loneliness truly did not compare to the absolute desolation of Majora for thousands of years. “I think so. What he did can still be wrong, but I think I don’t…I don’t want anyone to be lonely or hurt, not really.”

“You’re a good person,” Sidon says. “There are not many people who would feel the same way.”

“I think it’s because of what the Lord of the Mountain said,” Link says. “I think about how lonely I’ve been, and if I magnify that feeling and stretch it for thousands and thousands of years, I don’t think I’d be much better off. I don’t think I’d still be a good person. He needed to pay for what he’d done, but if he can never truly die, I would rather he find peace and never harm anyone ever again then continue to suffer.” He sets the mask down in front of them, chewing at his bottom lip. “Maybe I’m too nice.”

“I don’t think so,” Sidon says. “It just reminds me of what you’ve said about the Bokoblins and Moblins. You never went after them first, and even when they attacked you, sometimes you opted to just ignore them as best you could and accomplish your tasks without harming them. But still, you never let them harm others. That’s…a more balanced approach to conflicts then many other people have.”

“But if I was harsher, maybe I wouldn’t have failed the first time against Calamity Ganon,” Link says as he takes his bowl back from Sidon. He sips some of the stew down as he watches Sidon ponder his words with a frown of his own.

“I don’t think so,” Sidon says. “If anything, I get the impression that perhaps the six of you weren’t as united as you should have been. Mipha…I always remember Mipha talking about how you and Revali would fight, or rather Revali would fight with you and you’d never respond. She said it was hard to get you to open up to her too. Perhaps the issue back then wasn’t that you were stern or harsh enough, but that you and the others never truly relied on each other the way you should have.”

“I think you’re right. It felt different,” Link says, staring down into his half empty bowl. “When I went back and freed their spirits from Calamity Ganon’s beasts, it felt like I really…knew them. I don’t know. I felt closer to them in those moments than I did in my memories.”

“I stand by what I said earlier still,” Sidon says. “I don’t wish for you to carry all of that burden on your shoulders when you did the best you could, but I’m willing to consider the way things could’ve been different.”

“It’s all just speculating,” Link says. He tips the bowl back and gulps the rest of the stew down until there’s just a few vegetables at the bottom of the bowl. “Until I remember how I really died, if I ever remember, I’m not going to know exactly what happened and how I failed.”

“Does that bother you?” Sidon asks.

Link nods. “A little bit. I feel like…there’s a lot of things I don’t remember, but that’s always been a piece of the puzzle where it’s bothered me. It _feels_ like I’ve forgotten something.”

“Then, as distressing as it may be, I hope one day you recover those memories,” Sidon says.

They finish eating in silence and then Link takes care of the dishes while Sidon heads outside to check on Epona and Madwebiisaan. Link takes the mask from the floor and after a moment of hesitation, leaves it atop his dresser instead of stashing it away under all his clothing once more. Even if Majora no longer inhabits it, he can’t help but feel odd about hiding it away again. That’s how the whole problem started after all.

If it’s foolish, at least there’s no one around to watch him engage in such behavior.

When Sidon returns, they curl up together in front of the fire with Link’s Sheikah Slate and check the pictures they have. There’s more than Link thought. Once he’d started taking them back by Tabantha Bridge, it appears he never really stopped, but he’s grateful he didn’t. It’s nice to revisit the memories from even just a few days ago with Sidon.

“I’m glad I got to go on this trip with you,” Sidon says, his arms tightening around Link’s stomach. “I know it’s not over yet but…it’s been so eye-opening in so many ways, and I’m glad I got to experience it all with you.”

Link turns the Sheikah Slate off and slides it across the ground away from them before turning in Sidon’s arms, resting his hands on Sidon’s chest as he looks up at him. “I’m happy I got to experience it with you too.”

After a moment of nervous hesitation, he pulls himself up enough to press their lips together, heart racing when Sidon smiles against his lips. He likes this. He likes that he gets to do this, just because, just because they can. His chest feels so warm with the feeling he’s come to name love, and it tangles up with arousal when he feels Sidon’s hands circle his hips and waist in such a careful grasp.

Sidon is always so careful with him, in everything. Even when he pushes and pulls Link around, it’s always with a gentle touch, and then there’s the way he’s handled every issue Link has had to confront. Always careful, always gentle, always treating him with the utmost care as if Link is something precious. To Sidon, he supposes that’s just what he is.

He arches into Sidon’s grip as he sucks at Sidon’s tongue, teeth grazing against it and earning him a gasp and low noise from Sidon that he isn’t sure how to categorize. It sounds good though. They press closer together and then, Sidon just leans back, stretching out in their nest and letting Link stretch out on top of him. It inspires Link to shift and start kissing his jaw instead, kissing and scraping his teeth against the skin of his neck just to see the reaction he gets.

He takes his time, his brain humming with the pleasure of exploration and the new sensations beneath his teeth and tongue and lips as he explores Sidon’s collarbones next. He trails his hand down Sidon’s side as he bites again. His teeth are too dull for it do leave a mark, but from the way Sidon gasps and his skin seems to shiver beneath his touch, Link knows he can feel it, and likes the way it feels too. But it does begin to raise a question. He pushes himself up and looks down at Sidon.

“Do you have…like…” Link hates how heated he can feel his face gets as he drifts off and then glances down at his own crotch.

“Oh! Um…sort of?” Sidon says, pushing himself up. “It’s different from Hylians, and depending on what we wanted to do I could ah…” Sidon’s cheeks also begin to flush and that helps to see. He doesn’t want to be the only one feeling embarrassed. “I can give or take if you um…understand.”

“Yeah, got it,” Link says. “I didn’t want to…go that far? Just…touch maybe?”

“Ah, okay. Here, I’ll show you,” Sidon says.

Which is how he ends up rubbing his fingers between Sidon’s legs with a firm touch and watching the flush in Sidon’s cheeks turn an even deeper red as the flesh beneath his fingers begins to give way. It’s wet, warm, and even as his fingers start to slip inside, Link keeps his curiosity at bay and opts to kiss Sidon instead. He remembers how it had made him feel steadier when he touched himself in Sidon’s arms to have Sidon’s lips on his.

“O-Oh…Link…” Sidon gasps, the sound rough, and he turns his face away as he cries out again when Link’s fingers slip over something thick and rounded.

“Too much?” Link asks, pressing the words into Sidon’s chin. His own arousal at Sidon’s reaction to his touch burns low in his abdomen, but he ignores it in favor of watching Sidon’s face as he continues to stroke whatever he’s found with the tips of his fingers. “What is this?”

“My…ah…” Sidon looks back at him, eyes wide. “It’s my cock. It d-doesn’t always come all the way o-out though…”

“Do you like this?” Link asks, moving his three fingers in tandem over the tip once more.

Sidon jerks, leaning back on his arms even as his hips buck and Link has to put his free hand down on Sidon’s thigh to hold himself steady. “Y-Yes…it’s good…”

Link shifts and pulls his fingers through, taking a moment to examine the slick fluid over his fingers before turning his hand so it’s palm up and then slipping his fingers back inside. He watches Sidon’s eyes slide shut and his head tip back, smiling. Then, slow and careful, he crooks his fingers up and strokes along the bottom of Sidon’s cock. The noise that spills from Sidon’s lips is something between a moan and a growl and Link straddles his thigh, clenching it between his owns before reaching up with his free hand to tug Sidon’s face down.

The kiss is sloppy, wet, as Sidon’s tongue slips into his mouth, and there’s a flash of pain from the rough way his teeth drag against Link’s lips. He doesn’t mind it though. It’s just a reminder that he’s making Sidon feel good, that his touch makes Sidon forget his gentleness for just a moment. The cock inside him shifts, dropping down along the lengths of his fingers and he coaxes it out as Sidon kisses him harder, one of his hands coming up to hold Link’s hand steady as he plunges his tongue further, nearly choking him.

He yanks his head away a moment later, panting and gasping as Link withdraws his fingers and his cock slides out with them. It’s more malleable than his own cock. It’s the first thing Link notices as he takes it in his hands and squeezes, watching it jerk and spasm in response. The flesh matches the whie of Sidon’s body, and it remains covered in the slick translucent fluid he’d felt inside. It makes it easier to stroke him.

“A-ahhh…”

When Link looks up, Sidon is staring down at where Link’s hand is wrapped around him, stroking his cock with a firm grip. Link shifts again and places his other hand lower, slipping a finger into Sidon’s opening where his cock emerges, rubbing at the sensitive flesh and smiling when Sidon spasms, nearly knocking Link from his perch. He leans forward to press his lips to Sidon’s chest, biting at his skin and sucking at it as he continues to move his fingers and hands over Sidon’s slick flesh.

He doesn’t really know what he’s doing. Normally, that would bother him. In this case though, it’s him and Sidon learning what feels good together. It doesn’t make him feel inadequate. Not when Sidon keeps shivering and shaking beneath him, and not when Sidon’s voice pitches higher and breaks on his name as Link touches him. Sidon reaches out and grabs at Link’s bare shoulder, his grip almost bruising as he goes tense.

Link looks down just in time to see more of the translucent fluid drool out of the tip of Sidon’s cock, sliding down and making his cock even slicker. He milks Sidon through what he assumes is his orgasm, waiting until Sidon’s head is tilted back again as he pants before sliding down onto his stomach and wrapping his lips around the tip.

“Link!”

Sidon’s hand cups the back of his head and Link almost chokes from the way Sidon’s hips jerk up and shove his cock even further into Link’s mouth. He doesn’t really mind though. He’s too busy cataloguing the way the smooth skin feels on his tongue, and the slightly salty taste to the fluid that drips over his tongue and down his throat. Above him, Sidon continues to make soft, almost pained noises, but he keeps pushing at Link’s head like he wants more. So…Link gives him more.

He sucks and lets his teeth graze the top and bottom of Sidon’s cock just to see the reaction he gets. When he gets another moan of his name, he does it again. He slides off Sidon’s cock entirely but only to mouth his way down the side of it instead, enough that he can lick along Sidon’s entrance and taste the fluid from there too. It tastes the same, but stronger. He’s pleased that it doesn’t bother him. He likes the way Sidon sounds when he does this, and the fact that he likes doing it himself is even better.

“E-Enough, I can’t…”

Link pulls away and sits back up. He’s never heard or seen Sidon look so undone before, and he can’t help but be pleased that he was able to do so. Sidon grabs at him, hauling him up into his lap and up high enough that they can press their lips together, and for a brief moment, Link thinks he won’t like the taste of himself. From the way Sidon’s tongue slips back into his mouth, apparently that fear is baseless. As Sidon crushes him closer, it makes him realize how hard he is in his own trousers, his cock pressing against the fabric and into Sidon’s abdomen as they move.

When a whimper spills out from Link’s lips and into their kiss, Sidon pushes him even closer. Link wraps his arms around Sidon’s neck, hauling himself up and giving himself the leverage he needs to rock harder against Sidon’s firm weight, his skin shivering from the slow feeling of pleasure that pulses through him as he does so. He likes this so much. Sensations can overwhelm him so quick and fast, but like this, he feels like it’s overwhelming him but like a slow warm wave. He doesn’t want to shy away from it.

Not when it feels so safe.

“Here,” Sidon says as he pulls away from the kiss. “Like this…”

He tugs Link back with one hand, helping him work his trousers down to his upper thighs. It’s as far as they can push them with his legs spread as they are, but it’s more than enough for what Sidon apparently has in mind. His hand wraps around Link’s cock, big enough that he can hold it in his grasp and cover it completely and the sight makes something in Link’s chest snap and his gut swoop low with arousal.

It’s not often he feels small. More often than not, he feels too big for his own skin, like the power inside him is trying to push and claw its way out, so such an insignificant action makes him feel like…he’s small. Maybe that’s why he likes the way Sidon so easily moves him around too. It’s a reminder that as big as he has to be sometimes, there’s someone who can make him feel tiny.

“S-Sidon…”

“One more thing, hold on,” Sidon says.

He shifts Link again, taking his hand away from his cock and sliding it between his own legs. When his hand returns, its slick with his own fluids and this time when he wraps his hand around Link’s cock, Link can’t help but shout at the warm and wet feeling it creates. He stumbles over his own noises, and it’s a relief when Sidon kisses him and drinks them all in instead. For now, for just a little while, he can let Sidon control everything.

Like in the tide pool, Link can feel himself hurtling with great speed towards his orgasm. He almost pulls away if only to prolong it, but the feeling of Sidon’s hand rhythmically squeezing around his cock as he rolls his hips up is too pleasant to resist. He gasps and whines, fingers digging hard into Sidon’s shoulders as he comes, splattering Sidon’s hand with his release. Sidon doesn’t pull his hand away though. He gentles his touch, but he continues to squeeze as he draws away from the kiss to look Link in the eyes.

“Too much?” Sidon asks.

Link swallows hard, the pleasurable sensations pinging around through his mind too fast for him to really think all that clearly. It almost hurts, the way Sidon manipulates his oversensitive cock, but it’s not overwhelming the way so many sensations often are, so in the end he shakes his head to give Sidon permission to continue.

It doesn’t even really go anywhere. Sidon ducks his head back down and kisses him, slow and sweat, his tongue fucking into Link’s mouth with the gentle care that mirrors the way his hand seems to massage at Link’s cock. The pleasure in Link’s stomach burns like the dying embers of a fire, warm and present but not threatening. Before long, he pulls away from the kiss but only so he can tuck his face against Sidon’s neck and look down to watch the way Sidon touches him.

“You like it?” Sidon asks.

Link nods and kisses at his collarbone. “Feels…nice…”

He can feel that his cock is still hard, but unlike before, he doesn’t have the driving need to chase his orgasm down. He can feel it building. The tension in his body is starting to build, the pleasurable sensations beginning to roll through him with greater frequency, but he feels more than content to let Sidon do what he wants. His eyes slip shut and this time when his orgasm hits, it’s like a slow-moving tide rolling in. He shivers in Sidon’s grasp, gasping against his neck and chest as he comes again.

Sidon squeezes him until he’s done and only then does he finally draw his hand away, covered in the mixture of their fluids. It’s satisfying to see. The fact that it feels so satisfying to see his come on Sidon’s hand makes him feel a little less than human, but he doesn’t think Sidon would mind even if he voiced his thoughts out loud. They clean up together using one of the smaller blankets which Link tosses towards the front door so he remembers to clean it before they end up leaving tomorrow.

“I like doing this with you,” Sidon says, his voice hushed as they curl back up together beneath a combination of blankets and each other. “It’s…I don’t have much experience, but it’s nice to be able to figure out what we both like together.”

Link nods, propping himself up on Sidon’s chest so he can look down at him. “Me too. It doesn’t feel…scary with you. Nothing does.”

“That’s how I feel about you,” Sidon says with a smile. “Is that what being in love is?”

“I guess so,” Link says, returning the smile.

He falls asleep with the crackling of the fire and Sidon’s heartbeat in his ear.

-.-

The next morning finds him washing the dirtied blanket and hanging it in the small stable to dry and mucking out the stalls so that he won’t have to return to them being a mess. Epona and Madwebiisaan allow him to put their gear back on with little fuss, and then it’s back to take another quick shower and clean off the sweat and grime he managed to accumulate from just a few chores. When he re-enters his house, he finds Sidon frowning as he tries to fry eggs in a pan above the fire.

“You managing okay?” Link asks.

“Yes, of course,” Sidon says, voice distracted.

Link smiles and sets about cleaning up the rest of the blankets, refolding some and storing them away and carting the rest back upstairs to make his bed. He glances at Majora’s mask. Still, the earlier feeling of apprehension remains nowhere to be found. It’s a good sign, he thinks, though he can’t help the feeling of anxiety in his chest from knowing he’ll have to figure out what darkness lurks in the Shrine of Resurrection.

“Do you think I should ask the Sheikah about Majora?” Link asks as he rejoins Sidon by the fire.

Sidon slides the fried eggs onto plates and hands Link his wooden utensils. “Why would you want to?”

“I just…the fact that they misused Majora way back when, it makes me worry about whatever it is that they used to create the Shrine of Resurrection. If this dark version of myself that I’ve fought for over ten thousand years is what powered the shrine that resurrected me, it’s just another misuse of another’s power for the Hyrule royal family’s gain,” Link says. He picks apart his eggs with his wooden utensils. “Even if it wasn’t done by the Sheikah who are alive today…it worries me. That legacy worries me.”

“I understand your fear,” Sidon says. “Regardless of intentions, using and abusing entities we don’t understand for our own gain isn’t the right way to go about things. In a way, I suppose that’s how we got into the mess with the Divine Beasts in the first place. Our lack of understanding in how these things functioned is perhaps why we failed to account for Calamity Ganon’s ability to control them. From that perspective, I can understand why you would want to bring it up.”

Link glances up at him. “But you think there’s a reason not to?”

“The Lord of the Mountain felt pretty strongly about being left alone,” Sidon says. “And I am assuming you don’t want the Sheikah poking around in the Shrine of Resurrection.”

“That’s true,” Link says. “I had Zelda seal it off without telling anyone so I could check it all out myself later. I…maybe I’ll approach Jerrin first about it.”

Sidon nods. “That seems like a good idea. She seems to know a lot about all of these things considering her studies, and she seems to care about you beyond the power you represent.”

“There’s so much I want to address,” Link says. “There’s so many wrongs that need to be corrected, it feels like too much.”

“It’s okay,” Sidon says. “You don’t have to do it all at once, especially considering there’s no Calamity Ganon looming over all of our heads. You can tackle each of the issues when you’re ready, and I know I’m not the only one around who will be willing to help you do just that. All of this is at your pace. What I said about breaking the cycle…there are things I will do on my end, of course, but that too is something I want to do at a pace you are comfortable with.”

The words reassure the bubbling anxiety within him. He’s learned a lot during this journey, but the reminder that he has more friends than he thought he did, that there are people who want to work with him and not against him, it’s reassuring. He leans into Sidon’s warm weight. There’s certainly much more to deal with. It’s not as scary to think about though, with someone like Sidon at his side.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay hi! 
> 
> First and foremost - thank you you for reading this fic in its entirety. Knowing that people have really resonated with this pic and stuck around for the long haul to finish reading it has meant so much to me I don't even know how to explain it. Everyone's kind words have been so great to read. This fic absolutely was written as a way to comfort myself in these times of a pandemic and it's awesome to see that it's brought comfort to you guys too
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the last chapter. I will be turning this into a series (as soon as I think of a name anyways) so if you want to read the shorter one shot spin off ideas I have you can just subscribe to that and not my whole author page cuz I bounce all over fandoms haha.
> 
> Thank you if you've read until the end! I hope it is satisfactory.

As ready to face the day he had felt as they’d left Hateno Village on Madwebiisaan and Epona’s backs, as they pass Ovli Plain and continue along the road near the Cliffs of Quince, he finds himself plagued by a distinct feeling of dread. As if to mirror his own thoughts, the clouds above them begin to roll in, deep gray and heavy with rain. He always feels a little off any time he’s had to pass through Fort Hateno and the surrounding lands on foot. It was an area he often avoided once he had access to the shrines.

He’s not sure if it just guilt for the events that happened there and the role he played in them, or if it’s something else entirely. He’s not sure he really wants to know. The need to avoid it is instinctive, really. Places that triggered flashbacks in the past had always been places he’d felt drawn to, even when they weren’t the most pleasant of memories as they had been with Revali or when they’d readied themselves to face Calamity Ganon. Fort Hateno, Blatchery Plain, and the Ash Swamp felt like the opposite of that.

While he has no intention of sharing his feelings with Sidon, his demeanor must be too apparent. As they enter the shadow of the trees near the fort wall, Sidon looks over at him.

“If something is bothering you, I wish you would share it with me,” he says.

“It’s…we have to pass through here anyways, it’s not really avoidable,” Link says.

“Is this about what you said yesterday?” Sidon asks. “About feeling like you failed here?”

Link shakes his head. “Not really. I don’t know what it is, but the whole fort and the land beyond it just…I feel like I shouldn’t be here, that’s all. It feels wrong. I…” He gnaws at his bottom lip. “In a way, I feel wrong when I’m here.”

“Ah…”

Sidon, luckily, lets the topic lie, but perhaps that’s less because of his own curiosity being satisfied and more because as they pass through the archway of the fort and onto Blatchery Plain beyond, the graveyard of Guardians becomes unavoidable. They sprawl across the land, frozen in time just like the ones crawling over the temple at the Great Plateau. Sidon dismounts from Madwebiisaan and turns back towards the great fort wall.

All along it, Guardians stand, their long legs half buried in the crumbling prick, vines and tree roots twisting around them in turn as if the very earth sought to repel their attack. It’s disturbing to look at. It makes him feel like he’s truly in the wrong time. He wonders if that’s how the Hero of Time felt, flung into adulthood with no memories to help him grow and handle that burden. Standing here, Link feels as if some part of him has been stolen and preserved here, and that perhaps he is just the remnants.

“This…I never realized it was so bad,” Sidon says. “We never ventured this far.”

“Castle Town looks worse,” Link says with a mouth that doesn’t feel like his own.

“I don’t understand,” Sidon says with a shake of his head. He turns to look back at Link, still frowning. “These ones, and the ones at the Temple of Time too, they look as if they were stopped and frozen mid attack. They weren’t defeated like the ones you fought earlier.”

And…yes, that is true. Such a fact had always bothered him, tickled at the edges of his memories like it meant something. He shakes his head. “I don’t know either.”

“Do you have any memories at all of this place?” Sidon asks.

“No, just…just a memory of me and Zelda running in the woods,” Link says, his throat tight. “I think it was shortly after that I…failed.”

“We just passed through the woods,” Sidon says. “So you must have been heading through…all of this? Perhaps to Kakariko Village.”

“I don’t remember,” Link says.

Sidon’s mouth snaps shut as he approaches Madwebiisaan and then pulls himself back up into the saddle. “Sorry. I should consider your feelings, regardless of my-“

Whatever he was going to say is cut off by Madwebiisaan tossing his head and starting forward, banking off the road entirely and heading into Blatchery Plain. Even when Sidon yanks on the reins, he continues forward as if he doesn’t even notice. Link clicks his tongue for Epona to follow. It’s the first time Madwebiisaan has misbehaved in such a fashion since he became agreeable to Link’s ownership in the first place. It’s…worrisome.

Even when he draws even with them, all he’s really able to do is launch himself into Sidon’s arms in front of the saddle, adding his own strength to Sidon’s and yanking at Madwebiisaan’s mane. That just earns him an angry snort and the barest hint of rearing backwards.

“I think we should allow our trusty steed to take us where he wishes,” Sidon says.

“I imagine if we dismount he’ll just bite at us until we move where he wants,” Link says, and he gets a snort from Madwebiisaan in answer.

As Madwebiisaan continues his trek across the plain, rain begins to fall from the swollen and dark clouds overhead. It makes the foreboding sense in Link’s chest intensify, and he can’t help but reach back and wrap his hand around the handle of the Master Sword. It does little to comfort him. He’s not sure why it would.

“There are so many of them,” Sidon says.

Link glances around. He’d always been in such a rush to get through the area, he’d never really stopped and taken in just how many Guardians dotted the plains and swamp both. Likely, they numbered in the hundreds. It just deepened the mystery of how exactly they’d all failed that day and lost to Calamity Ganon when the field was full of Guardians frozen in place mid-attack.

They break free of a collection of trees and enter Ash Swamp and Madwebiisaan comes to an abrupt halt. For a moment, neither Sidon nor Link move. Then Madwebiisaan’s tail swishes up hard enough to slap them both and they stumble over each other trying to dismount in response.

“What is this place?” Sidon asks.

“Ash Swamp,” Link says. He looks up at Madwebiisaan. “Are you going to be helpful and tell us why you brought us all the way out here?”

Madwebiisaan flicks his tail again and trots away to shelter under one of the trees. Link and Sidon both glance around, looking for clues on what Madwebiisaan could possibly be dragging them around to look for. Frowning, Link pulls his Sheikah Slate free, activating both the Magnesis Rune and Stasis Rune looking for anything that might stand out the way it did when he was trying to navigate around the Lost Woods. That doesn’t lead anywhere either.

“Is this perhaps where you died?” Sidon asks, voice quiet.

“It could be,” Link says, looking over at him. “Maybe that’s why I have never liked being around here.”

All in all, it’s a pretty boring location. There’s grass and trees, swampy mud and ponds, but if it weren’t for the hundreds of Guardian shells littered across the landscape, there’d be nothing to draw anyone’s eye. Plain. Insignificant.

He steps over to one of the more flooded areas, water and mud slipping over his boots. He steps up onto a half-broken dock. When that doesn’t prompt anything, he turns back towards Sidon and then…then it comes to him.

The flashbacks are always disjointed. They’re like bits of stained glass that have been shattered and hastily thrown back together, the parts not all quite lining up and leaving him with a story that starts and stops, skips forwards and backwards, the emotions and sensations swamping him. He feels himself fall to his knees, but his mind is too jumbled up to know if the water and mud soaking his clothes is from then or now as he stares ahead as Zelda pushes him back to save him from the blast of the Guardian.

There’s Guardians everywhere. He can hear them, see their flashing red beams and blue eyes, can see the smoke rising from the ones he’s already defeated, but it all seems to wash away in the golden light emanating from Zelda’s hand. The relief that floods through him doesn’t feel like his. Relief that she’d done it, finally, relief that the power she hadn’t been able to reach had finally come through. Relief that his own failures wouldn’t doom them both to death.

That relief feels old and new.

There’s pain as he falls into the dirt and mud, the kind that feels like more than a cut or a bruise or a broken bone, the kind that sinks in deep and makes his nerves go numb. He’s aware of shouting, of Zelda’s hands on his face and shoulders, but there’s nothing he can say. Not when the sound of his own stuttering heartbeat struggling to pound floods his ears. The Sheikah arrive, likely to take him to the Shrine of Resurrection and Zelda…she sounds scared, but confident. His eyes slide shut, and he feels his own limbs go limp.

How can he move when every bit of his energy must go into keeping his heartbeat going? It doesn’t seem to matter though. He hears yelling, shouting, but it all seems distance to the silence that stretches between each thud of his heart. In an odd way, he’s not scared of dying. He’s just scared that he won’t be able to help Zelda finish the job. At least she can fight on her own now. At least-

“Link, please open your eyes.”

Sidon’s voice, so out of place with the memory that has him, jolts his body back into the present and he sucks in a heaving gasp before doubling over, fingers sinking in the mud as he coughs. It’s as if in the thrall of the flashback, where he no longer could breathe, he’d forgotten how to here. Sidon tugs at his arms, helping him sit back up and once he’s gained his composure, helps him stand next, though his knees are so weak and unsteady Sidon gives up and just picks him up, one arm under his shoulders and another under his knees.

“It’s alright, I can carry you,” Sidon says. “Just let me know if you’re okay physically. No injuries?”

Link shakes his head and then lets his eyes slip close again, leaning into Sidon’s chest as the rain continues to drop from the sky. He feels cold, but it’s impossible to tell if it’s how he really feels or if it’s just the remnants of the memory of his death clinging to him and refusing to let go just yet. He has a half hysterical thought that it’s the Link he used to be wishing he could come back.

The Link in his memories of a hundred years ago barely feels like him. In a lot of ways, he feels more like the Hero of Time or the Link that had sailed the Great Sea or the Link that had traveled in twilight. Or maybe that’s not quite right. Maybe he just really doesn’t want to be the Link that couldn’t hold on long enough to tackle Calamity Ganon together with Zelda. He’d always known she hadn’t awakened her powers until late in the conflict. He just hadn’t realized…how late.

“There you are,” Sidon says, and it takes Link a moment to realize Sidon isn’t talking to him but Madwebiisaan instead. He lifts Link up to sit in front of the saddle before climbing up behind him and wrapping an arm around Link’s torso to hold him steady. “Epona is nearby, will she follow us?”

Link nods and leans back into Sidon’s weight. Epona is smart. She won’t let them leave her behind, not even when her usual rider can’t be on her back on his own. “Kakariko. Just…get on the road. Madwebiisaan knows the way.”

The words, as few as they are, take all his energy to say. He wants to be strong enough to lead Sidon through as he has done this whole journey, but perhaps it’s a testament to how much Sidon has learned that he easily steers Madwebiisaan on the right path and sets them down the road. The rain continues to fall, but the water on his face feels hot, not cool. Crying then, yet again.

Always crying.

Though he supposes in this case at least, he can go easy on himself. With the sluggish feeling of dying still on the forefront of his brain, he supposes it’d be hard for anyone to cope with that without reacting. Even him. Even someone who prided themselves on their ability to stay silent and handle anything wasn’t unshakable. It makes him sad again, to think of how the Link from a hundred years ago felt as though he couldn’t share his burdens with anyone.

Of course, that guilt still remains with him, but even with it he’d found himself relying on so many people throughout Hyrule to defeat Calamity Ganon, and now, on this journey with Sidon, he’d found himself learning how to open up. The guilt that came with sharing hadn’t vanished. Still, the burden of his own fears and insecurities and sorrow was lighter, and the more he did it, the less the guilt affected him.

He’s just sad, he supposes, that it took dying to learn how to do that. He wonders if Zelda feels the same. After all, it had taken his death for her to decide to truly lean on him. It’s not something he really holds against her, even knowing now that she hadn’t awoken her powers until the moment before he died. The burden she bore then was as big as his own, bigger perhaps, because she would have had to rule a kingdom too. It’s as Sidon said. The Kingdom of Hyrule took what they wanted from them and spit them back out, rewrote history to make it fit their own narrative and erase their own guilt, heedless of the burden they put again and again on the shoulders of children barely turned adults.

“She didn’t have the sealing power,” Link says, voice a whisper that’s barely audible over the rain as they cross Kakariko Bridge. “Not until right before I died. She saved me but then I…my body just gave out…”

“I see.”

Sidon’s voice sounds tight, like he’s angry, and Link wishes he had the energy to explain better because he doesn’t want anyone to be angry at Zelda for something that was out of her control. His fingers are too numb and slick with dirt to use the Sheikah Slate, so instead he thinks about what exactly he wants to say as they head up the mountain trail towards Kakariko Village.

“It isn’t…her fault. No one ever taught her how to use it the way I was taught to fight, and she tried to learn. It’s not her fault,” he says.

“I know that,” Sidon says. “I’m upset that so many people believe you’re the one that failed when that isn’t true.”

“The Sheikah knew,” Link says. “They took me to the Shrine of Resurrection.”

“Of course they did,” Sidon says.

Link knows that doesn’t make it better. They’ve already talked at length about the ways both the Sheikah and the Hyrule royal family change history to fit the narrative that they deem best. Perhaps though, if they’re heading for Kakariko anyways, he can speak with Impa about the whole matter.

The clouds begin to move on as they near the top of the mountain, the rain slowing to a stop as the clouds break to show the later afternoon sun instead. It’s not quite the warmth he needs to chase away the chill of the rain and mud, but it helps. As they enter Kakariko Village, the clattering of the wood chimes echoing around them, Sidon slows Madwebiisaan down to a stop and then dismounts. If he’s still angry, the expression is nowhere to be found on his face as he looks at Link.

“We should get you warm first,” he says. “Where’s the inn and the stables? I’ll take care of Madwebiisaan and Epona while you deal with that.”

“I wasn’t planning on having us spend the night here,” Link says.

Sidon smiles, gaze affectionate. “We don’t have to, but I am going to insist that you at least clean up and get warm.”

Link can’t really argue with that. With Sidon’s help, he dismounts Madwebiisaan and leads them on somewhat shaky legs to the inn and then directs Sidon further down the road to where the stables are before heading inside. Ollie is asleep at the desk. That’s not exactly new. When he approaches, she awakens with a start, but before she can start talking, he lifts his hands to sign to her instead.

_“I do not need a room for the night, I just need to get clean. What’s the price for me to do so?”_

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” she says, waving a hand dismissively. She pulls a key from the rack of keys she keeps behind her and hands one over. “Room 109, feel free to use what you need and just return that to me when you’re done.”

He’s far too tired to protest or insist on payment as he usually does, so he takes it and heads for the small room and its bathroom. He pulls off his mud and rain soaked clothes and rinses them as best he can in the shower water before letting it all drain out and hanging them on the sink edge and then stepping into the shower. The warmth helps ease the ache in his muscles that he isn’t sure is even real or just a memory. Either way, he’s happy to be rid of it.

Even with the general sadness and exhaustion that clings to him from the memory, he finds himself feeling much better once he’s clean. After a moment of hesitation, he puts on the necklace Sidon made him. It feels better, having the reminder of Sidon’s love of him so close. Then, he folds the damp clothing so he can carry it to the stables and leave it in Madwebiisaan’s stall to dry more and then dresses in his spare trousers and blue tunic. Ollie is sleeping again when he enters the front of the inn, so he places his key back where it belongs before heading back outside and heading down towards the stables.

He finds Sidon at Madwebiisaan and Epona’s stalls and tosses his clothes over the stall wall in between them before pushing his way into Sidon’s arms. There’s no one around to see them, which makes his moment of weakness easier to indulge in. Sidon sighs and holds him close, bending down to press a kiss to the top of Link’s head.

“Do you think we should talk to Impa about what you remembered? And…everything else?” Sidon asks.

“Probably,” Link says, his voice a mumble into Sidon’s chest. “But I don’t…this is supposed to be a fun trip for you.”

“I have had plenty of fun on this trip, and I have learned so much from you in the process. I do not mind taking some time to speak with Impa, especially considering my own desire to help break this cycle of you and Zelda being used without any regard to your wellbeing,” Sidon says.

“You seem angry,” Link says, pulling away to look up at him.

“Oh, I’m furious,” Sidon says. “But I’m not going to yell or anything like that, don’t worry. I just have some strong words, perhaps.”

“It’s…good that you’re here then,” Link says. “I’m not sure I could say it as well as you.”

“Then shall we head for Impa’s?” Sidon asks. “Are you ready to do that now? We can wait if you need time to calm down.”

“I’m okay,” Link says. “As okay as I can be…actually, I’m not as shaken by all of this as I thought I might be. I…I already knew the circumstances of my death, or at least, I’d put the pieces together, so remembering it just confirms what I suspected. The worst part is just…my body remembers too.”

“In what way?” Sidon asks.

“Like…I feel sensations from then, and that…that was hard,” Link says. “Feeling my body give out.”

Sidon seems distressed from his words, but Link knows there’s nothing he can do to fix that. It’s like when he worries about Sidon he supposes. He worried, and now Sidon is worrying, but there’s nothing to be done about that other than feel it and let it pass. He can’t make himself not experience the things he has. Sharing them with Sidon helps it feel less painful, and Sidon has said again and again that he’s more than willing to take on that burden. So…even if he sees the distress in Sidon’s face, he can accept that Sidon is willing to experience that as someone who loves him.

It’s a little odd though, being on the other end of such worry. He leans up on his tiptoes and kisses the bottom of Sidon’s chin, the action bringing a small but genuine smile to Sidon’s face before he turns to head out of the stable. Sidon catches his arm before he can further though, forcing him to turn back around.

“You’re okay though, yes?” Sidon asks. “If you still feel this…sensation, I don’t want to put you under further distress by speaking with Impa.”

Link shakes his head. “It’s okay. The shower helped. It’s mostly gone, at least for now.”

Sidon finds the answer acceptable, or at least Link guesses he does when he releases Link’s arm and lets him lead the way back towards Impa’s home near the center of town. Sidon gets a few curious looks but is otherwise left alone. The people of Kakariko Village have always been more inclined to let Link do as he wishes without interference, and that courtesy extends to Sidon it seems.

They head up the steps to Impa’s home, though Sidon has to duck rather far to be able to enter through the door. Impa is in her usual spot, but she frowns when she sees both Link and Sidon, though Link isn’t sure why his presence would make her frown in such a way. When he meets her eyes though, it becomes clear. The way she looks at him, he can tell she knows that he knows more than he did the last time they spoke, and it makes anger flare in his chest as he considers the circumstances.

From the start, Impa had led him to believe that Zelda’s plight of holding Calamity Ganon back had rested solely on his own shoulders even when she knew it wasn’t true. It’s infuriating. And now she frowns at him because he knows the truth and that…upsets her. He doesn’t know what to do with the anger that roils in his chest, but he thinks now he maybe understands why it is that Sidon has been so upset on his behalf.

“I take it this is not a social call,” she says after a long moment of silence stretches between the three of them.

“Unfortunately, no,” Sidon says. “I am not here as the prince of the Zora, but as Link’s friend.”

To her credit, Impa doesn’t seem bothered by the declaration, only dipping her head in response and turning her gaze back to Link. “And what is it you wish to say?”

Though he knows she doesn’t mean that way, Link can’t help but feel as though the words are mocking the fact that his reaction so often to his own troubling emotions is silence. It’s something about him that she would know from when she knew him in the past. It makes the anger worse, to think that perhaps she doesn’t see him as capable of speaking his mind, though he’s aware that could also just be his own projection. In all likelihood, she has no other intentions in saying what she says. Still, it does nothing to quell his rising emotions.

“I want to know why you let me think Calamity Ganon winning was my fault,” Link says. “I want to know why you didn’t tell me Zelda didn’t even have her sealing power until I was dying.”

Impa stares at him, her gaze unflinching, and he feels for once that he can feel the power she actually holds. The room they stand in begins to feel like the Sheikah shrines. He doesn’t look away though, because there’s nothing to her that he fears. There’s nothing she could say or do to him that he hasn’t already thought about himself, cutting away at his own sense of worth and beating himself with guilt he had no business bearing in the first place. He may not be in a place where he can reject those thoughts with ease, but he has no intention of being controlled by them. Or by anyone.

“You are a man of no importance,” Impa says. “You have no social standing. You are born into the world as an orphan, or a peasant, or as a no name soldier’s son, and the Triforce of Courage attaches itself to you. It follows no bloodline. Ganon has won in the past simply because you failed to even show up. If you fail, nothing changes.”

“That’s not true,” Sidon says. “People have died and the survivors think it’s his fault.”

Impa shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. People can hate him as much as they like and nothing will happen. But the Triforce of Wisdom follows a bloodline – one bloodline, since the very first conflict with a man whose name has been forgotten by almost all except the most learned of the Sheikah.”

“Demise,” Link says, the words falling from his mouth before he can think of where he first heard it.

“Correct. The problem then becomes what happens if the people lose trust in the Hylian royal family. Imagine all that anger and grief turned on a girl who has no means to protect herself and no surviving family that carry her blood. What happens?”

“They remove her from power,” Link says. “And if something worse happens and she dies, then there’s no one else to carry on her power.”

Impa nods. “Perhaps the Goddess would see fit to bestow the power upon another family, but there is no guarantee. We cannot risk the world knowing the reason they’ve lost their family and friends and ancestors is because a child was given an unfair burden to bear with no one to teach her.”

“So you put it on Link instead?” Sidon asks, and Link can hear the anger he himself feels in his voice.

“If Link had died that day, another would have been born with his power and perhaps we would have been able to carry on against Calamity Ganon and defeated him sooner,” Impa says. “But Zelda insisted we save him, so we used the Shrine of Resurrection even though we barely understood the power within it, and that too will be a choice the Sheikah will take responsibility for if anyone asks. We are here to take the burdens the royal family cannot bear for fear of losing the power that can hold Calamity Ganon at bay. For better or worse, that is something on your shoulders as well, Link.”

Link shakes his head, jaw clenching. “That doesn’t answer my question. Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you let me think it was my fault my friends died? Aren’t you…we were friends, right? Y-You should’ve cared! About me!” The rage boils over and he twists his fingers together, dull nails biting at his own skin as he tries to compose himself. “It isn’t a shared burden if you lie about it when you give it to me!”

Link can’t ever remember a time in his life where he shouted, not like this, but he doesn’t know what else to do with the feelings that seem to flood his system. Sidon steps closer, his hand on Link’s back helping him steady himself.”

“I understand lying to the rest of world, but I don’t understand you lying to me,” Link says, forcing himself to meet Impa’s gaze. “And I’m tired of this. I’m tired of every Link having to experience the same grief and betrayal and loneliness because you see him as a weapon and Zelda as a figurehead. You…it stops with me.”

“I can’t do that,” Impa says, shaking her head. “We cannot allow-“

“What? Autonomy? Forcing Zelda to fulfill a role given to her by her blood without any guidance made her fail. Turning me into a weapon not worthy of consideration made me…it made me feel guilty and terrible and if you just helped us instead of turning us into tools in your fight against Calamity Ganon we would be better off,” Link says.

“We cannot risk either of you, in any life time, making choices that threaten to ruin the world,” Impa says.

“Refusing to let them make choices is what nearly wiped the Sheikah out and killed the both of them,” Sidon says. “Perhaps the Sheikah have been operating in the shadows for too long.”

“I’m talking to Zelda about all this once I take Sidon home,” Link says. “I was just hoping for…for something more from you. I thought you cared.”

“I do,” Impa says. “But I am no longer in a position where I can allow my care to interfere with my decisions.”

The words make him wonder what Impa herself could possibly be hiding. What it was that made her feel as though she couldn’t care for Zelda and himself as the friend she had once been to them both. Perhaps Zelda will know. But then…perhaps not.

“Thank you for hearing me out,” Link says.

He heads for the exit without waiting to hear a response. In truth, he’s not sure if hearing her say something else would help at all or just make him feel even worse. Even once Sidon rejoins him on the porch, he finds himself unwilling to move, the energy that had surged through him from how upset he had been vanishing as quickly as it had come and leaving him exhausted and listless. It’s hard to convince himself to move.

“I’m sorry that wasn’t as helpful as you might have hoped,” Sidon says after a moment. His hands touches Link’s upper back as if to ask permission to touch him further, so Link leans back into it, encouraging Sidon to move his hand up and down in a soothing motion. “Even if her reaction isn’t surprising, I’m sorry you had to hear someone reinforce the idea that you aren’t…a person.”

“It’s not…” Link swallows past the lump in his throat and takes a deep breath before trying again. “It’s not that bad. Maybe it would’ve been worse if I hadn’t spent the last few weeks with you and learning to feel more…comfortable with having my own wants and needs. She didn’t say anything I haven’t told myself a thousand times, and it means less coming from her than it did coming from me. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, I understand. I just wish things were different,” Sidon says.

Link looks up at him, and despite the earlier anger, he feels calm now. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, breaking a cycle that’s far older than ten thousand years. But I think it’ll be worth it, both for me and whoever comes after me.”

Sidon smiles, the wrinkles of worry around his lips and eyes melting away to something softer. “I see my unwavering positivity is wearing off on you!”

“It’s not that,” Link says. “It’s just being…hopeful.”

Link heads for the stairs to leave but Sidon grabs his arm and tugs him back.

“Sorry, I just…didn’t you want to ask her about the Shrine of Resurrection too?” Sidon asks.

Link pauses in front of the steps and glances back towards the door that leads to Impa’s home. She said they barely understood the power controlled there. Considering they hadn’t realized the Divine Beasts could be corrupted by Calamity Ganon, he isn’t exactly surprised to hear that. It was likely just a last ditch effort by Zelda as she said.

“No. Whatever is there…I don’t want them interfering,” Link says. “I’ll confront it myself.”

“Aren’t you worried about it harming you?” Sidon asks as they head down the stairs together. “Especially considering how much it features in your nightmares.”

“Majora was in my nightmares too. For all I know, whatever is sleeping there just wants to be left alone the same way he does now,” Link says. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

Sidon laughs at that, the sound prompting Link to smile as they head back towards the stable. “I feel as though you and I have drastically different ideas about what constitutes as careful.”

Link can’t dispute that, so he doesn’t even try. When they reach the stables, it’s only to grab their packs and say their temporary goodbyes to their mounts. From here, it’s an easy walk to Rabia Plain and the Rutala River which can take Sidon back to Zora’s Domain with little incident. It is sad to think that this really is the end of their journey together.

“Ah, Madwebiisaan, my faithful mount,” Sidon says, leaning over the stall door to hold Madwebiisaan’s face in his hands. “You have been a trustworthy and reliable steed these past few weeks. Thank you for aiding me in my journey.”

Madwebiisaan tosses his head just enough to nip at Sidon’s arm in answer.

“You can come visit him any time, just let me know,” Link says. “I think he’ll miss you almost as much as I’ll miss you.”

“You’re not rid of me just yet,” Sidon says. “Although we never did get to see a meteor shower.”

“We might tonight,” Link says. “I checked the records as best I could and there supposedly is one that happens tonight and tomorrow too. I picked out a good spot for us to sleep and see it.”

Sidon’s eyes widen. “You really thought of everything. I know I keep saying that but…you really have!”

“Of course I did. This whole journey has been for you,” Link says, resisting the urge to turn away so he can hide the way he can feel his cheeks heating up.

Before they leave the stable, Sidon kisses Madwebiisaan right between his eyes and then together, they head back out into Kakariko Village. On their way up towards the mountain trail that leads to the shrine, Link stops to purchase carrots and a large pumpkin as well as some vegetable broth. He has every intention of giving Sidon as close to a delicacy in each town, even if there really isn’t one, and judging by Sidon’s expression, he’s grateful for the effort.

“If you want, we’re going to pass another Great Fairy Fountain on our way to our destination,” Link says as they head up the mountain path.

“That’s okay,” Sidon says. “I just want the last night of our journey spent with each other.”

The thought is nice. Even with the new memory tumbling through his mind and weighing him down, and even with the troubling conversation with Impa on top of it, he feels…good. He thinks if he’d been alone, if Sidon hadn’t been at his side and helping him grow and become surer of himself over the last few weeks, the events of the day would have left him reeling for potentially weeks, or even months. But…they hadn’t. They were upsetting, but for the first time since he woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection, he doesn’t feel as if he’s standing on a shaky foundation. He feels sure of himself and who he is. Which makes him wonder if he’ll still feel the same without Sidon by his side. Maybe that’s just part of the growing process too.

As they enter the forest, he can’t help but ponder over the conflicting feelings in his chest. On some level, he’s excited to have some time for himself again. At the same time, the thought of being separated from Sidon after spending so much time alongside him makes his chest ache and his throat feel tight. He knows they can’t stay together every day. He also knows Sidon is just a quick shrine teleportation away, so they’ll never truly be separated. Sidon isn’t meant to roam and Link knows he isn’t meant to stay in one place, even if he didn’t have unfinished business he needed to investigate. He just wishes he could have it both ways.

When they reach the Rabia Plain, the sun has moved out of sight behind the mountains to their left, but it still hasn’t set, casting the sky in the fading light of reds and oranges and purples. It makes the rolling plains and the elk that dot the grass in the distance closer to the tree line look even more gorgeous. To the right, Divine Beast Vah Ruta stands on her peak, with the Mezzo Lo Shrine beneath her on the other side of the Rutala River.

As they make their way through the plain, the setting sun comes into view. It’s pretty enough to draw both of their attention, and they end up getting distracted trying to take pictures together, Sidon lifting Link up and moving him this way and that as Link tries to get them both in the frame. In the end, they take photos of them and the sunset and as the approach the shrine, both of them with the dam near Zora’s Domain as well.

“You know,” Sidon says as they finally settle and begin to make camp near the cliff’s edge behind the shrine. “I never thought there’d be a point in my life where seeing home didn’t make me excited to return. I just feel…I feel like I am not quite ready for our time to come to an end.”

“It’s not really ending though,” Link says. “I can see you whenever we both want.”

He’s saying it for himself too, not just Sidon.

“But this…this is not something we’ll be able to do so easily in the future,” Sidon says. “A few weeks where we don’t have to worry about any responsibilities…I will miss that.”

“We’ll find a way,” Link says. “Promise.”

They set up a fire just as they have every other night and then Link sets to work pulling out the guts of the pumpkin, setting that beneath one of the trees and watching as the squirrels clamber down to come investigate. Sidon creeps closer to watch them as Link sets the pumpkin on the pan and fills it with some water and the pumpkin with the vegetable broth. As he waits for it to heat up, he goes through the Sheikah Slate, looking at the list Sidon had made before they started and thinking back over their journey.

Sidon notices and abandons his examination of the squirrels in favor of settling down beside him, pulling Link into his lap with little fanfare and resting his chin on top of Link’s head. “We really did everything except the meteor shower, didn’t we?”

“Mmhm,” Link says. “I just wanted to make sure.”

“If you’re so determined to make sure we can do this again, I’ll come up with some even crazier ideas next time,” Sidon says.

Link smiles and sets the Sheikah Slate aside before digging back through his pack and pulling out what food supplies they have left along with the carrots so he can add them to the broth in the pumpkin. By the time the sun sets, their food has finished. They split it between their own bowls and sip it the way they had the curry all the way back at Death Mountain. Sidon must be thinking the same thing, because he hums as he looks over at the mountain and the lava that glows as it flows down the sides of it, bright in the growing darkness.

“Just a few weeks ago I had never been there. Now I’ve been to the hot springs, to Rito Village, the Kara Kara Bazaar and everywhere in between. I feel…it’s as though I’ve crammed a lifetime of experiences into just a few weeks, and yet I didn’t feel rushed at all,” Sidon says.

“It’s like that for me,” Link says. “Even when I was scrambling around trying to get the Divine Beasts back in control, I didn’t feel rushed. I don’t know. It’s hard to explain, but this journey has felt a bit like that, but I…I learned more this time around.”

Sidon tips his bowl back and sips more of the soup and then turns to look down at him. “What do you mean?”

“About myself,” Link says with a firm nod. “I learned…I learned that I’m not alone, and that I never really have been, I’ve just been holding myself back because I feel guilty. And I know it won’t be easy to keep those thoughts away, but I feel less scared of reaching out to people about it, and I don’t just mean you. I…I don’t know. I’m more prepared now to live my life than I was when I defeat Calamity Ganon. That’s all.”

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that.”

Sidon leans down to kiss him before Link is ready and he ends up spilling some of his soup on himself, but he doesn’t really care. He’s much more interested in setting the bowl aside and climbing his way back into Sidon’s lap just to be close to him, the anxiety of this being the end of their journey spurring him on to get as much contact as he can. It’s not even a sexual desire like the night before. He just…wants Sidon to wrap him up and make him feel small and loved for just a little bit longer.

They stretch out together in the grass, Sidon on his back with Link on his chest, sharing kisses as the sky begins to bloom with stars. Sidon’s hand is warm at his back, his neck, along his side, roaming over and over every inch he can touch as if he’s trying to memorize the feel of Link against him the way Link is trying the memorize the feel of Sidon’s skin beneath his fingers. It’s not until Sidon gasps and points that they pull away.

Link rolls off him and onto his back, still tucked into Sidon’s side, and looks up to see the lights of the meteors streaking across the sky in brilliant arcs of white and then vanishing among the stars. Every few seconds another one shows, the bright tails sometimes white, and sometimes yellow, and a few times even blue. They cut through the constellations, across the Seven Sages, across the empty expanses between the stars.

“Sometimes they fall to the earth,” Link says, voice soft in the night air. “They glow in the distance, and if I chase them down, sometimes I find them.”

“I would love to do that one day,” Sidon says. “Chasing stars…what a thing to do, hm?”

Link wraps his arm tight around Sidon’s waist and hums as Sidon’s arm wraps around him in response. “Yeah…it really is.”

-.-

The next morning, when the sun is just thinking of rising, they pack up their things and make sure Sidon secures all of his goods in the waterproof pack so he can take them home as he swims through the river. There’s more than Link thought. The bracelets he’d made Sidon, the spear from the tech lab, a few leftover gems from the Rock Talus they fought, a lock of Madwebiisaan’s mane that Sidon must have gathered over time and tied together, Farosh’s scale, and he’ll have the items from Lurelin Village waiting for him too.

“I feel like I’m not ready to go,” Sidon says as he watches Link pack up the rest of their camp and finish putting out the remains of their campfire.

Link straightens up, his throat feeling tight and his eyes burning a little from tears he can feel gathering at the corners. “I was going to be fine until you said something.”

Sidon laughs, but the sound of it is a little sad too as they both step closer to each other. “I couldn’t help myself.”

“It’s okay. I understand,” Link says.

He rises up on his tiptoes, asking for a kiss, but Sidon does him one better and wraps an arm around his waist, lifting him with ease before pressing their lips together. Link clings to his shoulders, and then at his jaw when he lifts his hands up to frame Sidon’s face. He doesn’t want to let go. From the way Sidon’s fingers bite at his back, he knows the feeling is mutual, but in the end, Sidon sets him back down.

“I love you,” Sidon says.

“I love you too,” Link says.

“I’ll see you soon, right?” Sidon asks, backing up towards the cliff that leads down to the river.

“As soon as I visit Zelda, I’ll come visit you next,” Link says. “Promise.”

For a moment, he wonders if Sidon is just going to refuse to leave, but then, after a long few seconds and a deep breath, he turns and hurls himself over the cliff, diving down towards the river. Link watches him swim until he’s far out of sight. The sadness in his chest is almost overwhelming, but he knows it’s not a loss forever. Link holds onto that thought as he turns back to Kakariko Village, and by the time he reaches the woods, he doesn’t really feel sad at all.

It’s not a goodbye. They’ll see each other soon.


End file.
